Nothing Will Ever Change That
by YoungBoch
Summary: The beginning... eh, just read it, by now I'm sure most of you have read at least a little of it. After that, think of this as more of a TV series with diffrent plots for every few chapters. Shinji x Asuka and OC pairings. FINISHED! Hope you all like it!
1. A Man's Cruelty

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

A/N- This is my first fanfic, and I hope it is good. I will be the first to admit that each chapter is not that long, but expect many of them, so please don't make a comment on it.

Disclaimer- I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion or any of the characters. I do, however, own the characters that I introduce into the NGE storyline.

Prologue 1-

"I grew up with nobody, and I always will, that's how it's supposed to be," I talk to myself in the dark room. I just woke up from a dream, soaked in sweat. I have been having this dream lately about my mother, well, what memories were left of her. I just roll over and try to get some sleep, unable to do so. I just reflect on the past few years, all the angels, all the changes. I still remember my first fight with the third angel, Sachiel. I didn't even know how to pilot those giant things, and I was, by some miracle, able to beat it. I also meet Rei on that day. A quiet, peaceful and well-kept young woman. She never said more than a conversations worth of words to me, but it felt as if I knew her for quite awhile.

Images of the fourth angel, Shamshel crossed my mind. It appeared just days after the third. It floated across the city like it was nothing. I had almost died on that battle, but Rei saved my life. Within a few minutes, both me and Rei beat it. That was the first time I actually saw the real Rei. She was, in reality, a strong willed fighter just trying to keep out the pain of any kind of relationship.

Two days later, the fifth showed up, Ramiel. Another example of Rei saving me. It was a large, floating cube with enormous powers. We had to attack it from a distance, so I was using a giant sniper. I missed the first shot, so Ramiel shot back. Rei jumped in front of the blast, allowing me time to reload. To this day, I don't know why she feels compelled to protect me.

Then, a week after Ramiel's appearance, I was scheduled to be sent on a war-ship to meet the second child, and the pilot of Unit 02. When I first met her, I hated her. She was a horrid German girl. That fiery red hair reflected her personality perfectly. This girl's name was Asuka Langley Souryu. Within the first few minutes, I was hit twice by her. One for seeing up her sundress when the wind came – like that was my fault – and one for… I don't even know. Then, out of nowhere, an angel was detected. The sixth was named Gaghiel, and looked like a large, white and flat whale. It swam like a sword-fish, despite its size. Asuka – against orders – entered her Eva and fought the monster with me inside the entry plug with her. Despite what I may have thought of her that day, I knew right away that she was VERY strong willed.

Asuka was to be living with me and Misato – the Major of NERV. That was HELL. I hated my life at that time. But soon, another angel was spotted, Israfel. At first, it was just a large monster much like the third, but when Asuka and I tried to attack it, the monster split into two more beings. We were forced to retreat, but so was Israfel due to heavy damage. Both me and Asuka had to go through sync training to get our fighting perfectly mirrored. We had to use what looked like a DDR pad to do this, and by the end of the week, we were perfectly matched. We even slept the exact same way. When we went up against the seventh again, we beat it easily. You would think that all that time together would make our relationship grow… WRONG! It only made me hate her all the more.

Many weeks later, another angel – the eighth – was detected in a volcano, still in a fetus state. Asuka was sent in a special suit and dropped directly into the magma to retrieve it to study. While she was trying to get it in a cage, it hatched, revealing Sandalphon. It actually swam through the magma like a fish. Asuka was able to make a small slit on its skin with a knife, causing it to literally melt. Asuka started to sink into the magma, now without power. She was saying her last prayers when I jumped in with my Eva – no shield – and saved her. "I owe you one," was all she said. I think that it was her way of thanking me.

A large power-outage days later caused all of NERV to fail, with me, Rei and Asuka on the other side of the city. As if God was laughing at our pain, he sent the ninth angel to rain havoc. Matariel was its name. From a lack of a better definition, it basically looked like a Daddy-Long-Legs but with only four legs. Not much power was shown, but enough to cause at least a thousand deaths. When we all got to our Evas, we were able to defeat it easily.

The next angel was amazing to say the least. It appeared to be lazy and powerful at the same time. It floated freely in space – as if not wanting to leave its creator. It's attacks were devastating, it would fire a projectile with the power of ten warheads with amazing accuracy. Sahaqiel was a large, orange monster with one eye in the middle of a satellite-looking body. All of us were forced to wait until it fell to Earth, there; I caught it while Rei and Asuka killed it.

None of us had anything to do with the eleventh angel, Ireul. It appeared to be a powerful virus that infected and destroyed any electronic devices, including the NERV computer, MAGI. The NERV technician – Dr. Ritsuko Akagi – was able to trick it into absorbing a counter-virus that made Ireul self-destruct.

The twelfth angel was one too remember for sure. Lelie was a large, black and white ball that was able to produce a shadow that – in theory – was a portal to another dimension. I was sucked into this place, and with my power only lasting an approximate five minutes, I was pretty much dead. Luckily for me, Einstein's theory was proven that day, the relative theory. Five minutes on Earth was about an hour in… that place. His theory said that depending on your distance form the sun, time would be different to people in different areas. A person about ten yards away from another person ten yards closer to an object will see any difference in the object 0.0000003 seconds later. So, in turn, I must have been far away from any source of light. Somehow though, I was able to break out of that place by killing Lelie… but don't ask me how. Misato just said that my Eva went crazy and broke out of the twelfth.

The next angel was actually one of my closest friends, Toji. He was chosen as the fourth child, and was to pilot Unit 03, but somehow the thirteenth angel, Bardiel, took over his body. I was forced by my father – who was commander of NERV – to almost kill him. Even though I didn't kill him, I made him lose both one of his arms and a leg. That is one of my many burdens that I will carry for the rest of my life.

After Bardiel, I chose never to pilot an Eva again. Big mistake. Because of my selfish choice, the two most important women in my life almost died. The fourteenth angel was called Zeruel, and actually looked like a normal Eva unit, but it's arms – which were short pieces of sheet metal – would unfold and strike an opponent, slicing them in half. Asuka tried to take on this monster by herself, but the arms of her Eva were torn off, with her feeling the effects. She charged at it, armless, and was decapitated. Her body was recovered and revived. Rei was pretty much the same thing. Yet another burden for me to haul around.

"Shinji… what is your problem?" I ask myself a pointless question. I slowly drift to sleep, hoping not wake up again.

Prologue 2-

"I'm really sick of this place…" moaned a NERV employee.

Misato was looking over the MAGI just for kicks. She decides to look into the angels. The definition of an angel – Misato read – is god's messenger for the apocalypse. Each angel, unique in looks and powers, shows another form humans might have taken in the evolutionary chain. There are sixteen angles. Humanity does have the option to fight back, and if by some miracle, we survive, we are granted the opportunity to live on.

We decided to fight back. With that, all continents began putting a majority of their money into research on a project called Evangelion. All choices made for, or will affect the Evas, are done by NERV, the main research group of ay angel related activity. These enormous creatures are formed from the first angel, Adam.

Misato started to read over the Evangelion's bios. Evangelion Unit 00 popped up on screen. It's single green eye stared at Misato. It's body was light blue. This was the prototype for all of the Evas. Misato read on – Height- 167 feet, 3 inches. Compatible weapons- SMG, Electro- Sniper, Progressive knife and 1,500mm. The pilot is Rei Ayanami. 14 years old. Japanese. She is the first child. Black hair, 5 feet, 3 inches.

Misato then looked at Evangelion Unit 01. It's two green eyes once again stared at Misato. It's body was a dark purple. This was the most prized of all the Evas. Misato read it's bio – Height- 189 feet, 11 inches. Compatible Weapons – All. The pilot is Shinji Ikari, Commander Ikari's son. He is also 14, Japanese, he is the third child. Brown hair, 5 feet, 6 inches.

Misato looked over the last Eva, Evangelion Unit 02. This was one of the more scary Evas in Misato's eyes. It had four, bright white eyes with a blood red body. Height- 180 feet and 7 inches. Compatible weapons- All. The pilot is Asuka Langley Souryu. She is also 14, German, she is the second child. Red hair, 5 feet, 4 inches.

Chapter 1: A Man's Cruelty

Misato's Apartment

"So, what do you want for dinner?" I was so used to cooking, it was a habit to ask. Asuka was just walking out of the shower and drying off her hair.

"Whatever just don't poison me, Third!" Asuka always called me by my rank, never by name. I was used to it; I just brush it off at this point. Around this apartment, it's practically become my name.

"Alright, are burgers okay?" she just gives me a look from hell and I take that as a yes. Half-way done with making the half-pound burgers, Misato walks in after a day of work. She goes about her normal custom, chug a beer and wait for dinner.

"Aren't you done yet! I could have made them by now!" She always complaining about something. Most saw her as a demon spawn, but in a strange way, I was actually attracted to her. She was everything I wasn't; strong-willed, willing to fight, proud, and just plain strong. It was those exact traits that made me realize that I would never have a chance in hell with her. It's not like it really mattered, I was destined to be alone, and the path will continue to be the same.

"Then you can make them next time, how about that?" I didn't feel like being harassed after last night. We were in our room and Asuka felt that I was 'harassing' her. She was just getting out of the shower and – without knocking – walked into OUR room. Well I got a full view of her and she didn't like it… at all. Unfortunately, I should have bit my tongue, but I didn't. As she was ranting to Misato, I yell from my room 'Not that much to look at!'… that was wrong. She came charging at me and literally tackled me to the ground. Hell, I have a black eye to prove it.

"What did you just say to me! I'm sick of your attitude Third! You will respect me!" how was I supposed to respect a woman the insulted and hit me on a daily basis?

"Whatever. You still going to the party?" Trying to change the subject, I bring up the collage party tonight. If we just flash our NERV IDs, we'll get in. Misato obviously has no idea of this. She would kill the both of us if she found out, but I really can't see any harm in it, it's just a party.

"Don't ever talk back to me again Third! And yes, I am." Good, maybe I could get some time away from her. If I'm lucky, she'll get a boyfriend and I'll be set.

---

The Next Morning

"See ya Misato!" My voice rings throughout the house. I rarely left without Asuka, but after what happened last night, I'd rather not be around Misato. I really didn't want to leave Asuka, but I'm sure that she just wanted to be alone.

---

Last Night- Collage Party

The music is so loud that I can't even hear myself think. I'm able to see Toji flirting with Hikari. He says something and they walk off. The only reason we are here is because I flashed my NERV badge to get us all in.

"Asuka! Where are you?" I can't see her anywhere. We came here together, but we got separated. Nowhere to be found, I just grab a soda and wait.

"You son of a bitch! Get off!" I hear a girl's voice, obviously Asuka's, and I run to where it came from. I see her walk out of a room with tears in here eyes. I immediately notice that she has a bloody lip and eyebrow, along with a bruise on her left arm.

"Oh my God! Asuka! What happened?" Her clothes, which were a pair of denim short-shorts with a white t-shirt, were in shambles. The zipper on her shorts was partially undone, as was the button, and her shirt was torn across the right breast, clearly exposing her white bra. She simply points to the room she walked out of. I see a man standing there smiling. "You sick bastard!" I quickly run over to him and nail him in the nose. Now that he was on the ground, I go back to Asuka.

"H… he… tried to…" I cut her off.

"Let's go. I'll take you home and get you cleaned up." With no opposition, she accepts my hand and we walk out of the party.

As we walked, her position changed form holding my hand to clinging to my arm. She is still crying softly. I can see that she is really hurting, mentally and physically, so I do something that surprises even me. I embrace her in a tight hug.

"Mm!" a quick, harsh whine echoes from her throat, "Get… get off of me! Don't touch me!" She pushes away from me, and stumbles over her legs, thus falling to the ground.

"Asuka! Are you…" she cut me off.

"Just get away from me! Get the hint Third; nobody wants you around! Why can't you just leave!" those words hit like a ton of bricks. My heart literally hurt from the sudden realization.

"Because… I just refuse to die. You know that better then anyone. Look, whether you accept it or not, you need help right now. Now come on," I put out my hand, but she just gets up on her own.

"Whatever…" she just starts to walk as I follow close behind.

When we finally reach the apartment, I open the door and she slugs into her room. Whether she knew it or not, I was going to have to clean her wounds. I knew she was going to give some sort of resistance, but frankly, I didn't care. I head directly for the bathroom and get the first aid kit. When I get back to her room, I see that she has been moving around. I was about to say something, but what I saw stopped me. She was facing her closet, turned away from me… without a shirt on. She was changing out of her torn clothes and getting into some night-wear. I wasn't able to divert my eyes from her bare back. 'Don't stare, don't stare, don't stare' I kept on saying to myself. She slipped on a new, baggy shirt that went down to her knees.

She turns around to see me just standing there staring. I was expecting a harsh slap from her, but instead, she just turns back around and finishes getting changed. I couldn't believe it, she just un-does her shorts and drops them to the floor. Her night-shirt is covering her panties, but still! When Asuka was done getting changed, she goes to sit down on her bed. There was no way this was ever going to happen again, so I try not to sound too much like a wimp.

"S… sorry" Was all I could mutter. Yeah, that wasn't wimpy…

"Why did you do that?" She said in a voice barley above a whisper. She seemed to have calmed down a little during the walk here.

"I just walked in and you were…" She cut me off with a sharp yet flat comment.

"No. Not that. Back on the street. Why did you hug me?" How was I supposed to answer that?

"The hug? Oh… well… because I… wanted to comfort you. You seemed very hurt." That seemed like an okay answer… or not.

"Hurt? I seemed hurt? Of course I was, I still am! I just got raped and I seem hurt? Well thank you for you insight Third!" Good God. I just said the wrong thing. Seriously.

"Asuka, I'm sorry. It's just that… I do care about you, and I hate to see you like that." It was true. I'm sure that she would shun me for what I just said, but I didn't care.

"It happened so fast… I couldn't control it. That man just asked me if I wanted a drink, so I followed him. Once I was in his room he… he…." She stopped there. Nothing more said, I sit down next to her and hug her. Unlike last time, she actually embraces the hug. She doesn't push away, she didn't even show any sign of trying to escape. After a few seconds, I start to feel a wet spot form on my shoulder. Was she crying? I have never seen her cry, hell, I've never seen her sad. She just stayed there; face buried in my shoulder, and softly let the tears run from her eyes. I found it slightly surprising how softly she cried, not a sound was made, not even a quiver.

"Let it out, Asuka. I'm here." I little predictable, but it did seem to comfort her. She wasn't there for much longer, only about a minute. When she calms down, I get to work on her wounds. "Asuka… do you mind if I…" she cut me off.

"Just make it quick Third," I knew that it was a yes, but I was still hesitant about it. I just sucked it up and got to work. First, I clean up the cut on her eyebrow and put a band aid on it, that was the east part.. Then I look at her lip. Her lower lip had a cut on the right side of it. I thought twice before touching it, but it had to be cleaned. When I put some alcohol on it, she jumped a little, and I back off. She lets out a soft sigh as a sign for me to finish it, so I get back to work. When I was finishing, I noticed just how smooth her lips were. She obviously takes great pride in how she looks. The bleeding stopped on it's own after I was done, so there was no need for further care.

"Shinji… thank you" with that said, I smile and nod at her. When I get up, she grabs my wrist and holds on like her life depends on it.

"D… don't leave me. I… want you in here tonight" She asks with an almost begging voice. Wasn't this the same girl that was yelling at me for hugging her? now she wants me to sleep with her!

"But… Asuka… what if Misato comes in? She'll think we're…" I stop, I'm treading on dangerous ground, here.

"Let her. I just need the comfort of another person. God… listen to me, I sound like a baby," she still motions me to get in bed with her. Still, I hesitate. She lets go of me, and gets under the covers of her full-sized bed. She once again motions me to get in. I do, and lay down next to her. She swings her left arm around me, and soon falls asleep.

Around three in the morning, I still haven't gotten to sleep. My mind is too riddled with thought at what happened… what IS happening! I try to get up to get a glass of water, but when I do, she swings her bare leg around me. I just give up and try to get some sleep.

"Shin… ji…. don't… leave" she muttered in her sleep. Right before I fell asleep.

"Shinji. Shinji. Shinji!" I hear coming out of my short lived nap. I see Misato next to the bed whispering my name. Crap.

"Hi Misato" Stupid thing to say. Asuka is still asleep; I can feel her warm breath on the back of my neck. Here I am, in Asuka's bed with her not wearing any pants and her leg around me. Yeah… that doesn't look suspicious.

"'Hi Misato'? What the hell are you doing?" She whispers in a voice that would kill.

"I'll explain later, but we did NOT do what you think." I just thought that I should clear that up.

"Bullshit Shinji! Look at her face! She's smiling! Just please tell me you used protection. We can't afford to have her pregnant! God! I was supposed to look after you t…" I cut her off.

"We didn't do anything! I swear!" Asuka was smiling, she looked very cute, and she looked like she was having a wonderful dream.

"I'll talk to you tomorrow!" She then storms away and I fall asleep.

---

Misato's Apartment, 6:30 AM

I leave before she could answer. Half way to school, I see a half naked Asuka running towards me. She didn't change out of her clothes form last night.

"Asuka? What are you…" She cut me off by punching me hard in the face.

"What the FUCK is wrong with you! I asked you not to leave me! I woke up terrified this morning, and Misato wouldn't stop lecturing me about God knows what! She tried to stop me… and I… where did you go?" The last part sounded like she was really hurt.

"I was going to sch…" Once again, I was cut off.

"I can see that you asshole! I was raped last night and your going to school? I thought that you wanted to help me… and when I finally needed it…" She stopped.

"Asuka, I'm sorry. I didn't think about it." That comment was meet with a hard slap to the face. The sound of the contact of flesh made me shiver.

"You know what Third? Fuck you. I don't need you or anyone else. I've grown up alone and I will continue to do so. So from now on, just leave me alone and don't try to help me ever again!" With that, she ran off and didn't look back. I thought that I would just see her later on that day, so I just let it go and went to school.

"Shinji! What happened?" Toji is calling me from across the room. He must have been talking about us leaving at the party, I just hoped that he didn't see Asuka like that.

"Nothing. Drop it." And he did. I didn't talk for the rest of the day, but I couldn't keep her out of my mind. I've known her for more than a year now, but I've never seen her so mad, so hateful. I remember the first time we met back on the hangar at some air force base. When she was forced to move in with me and Misato, all the time spent together. It was worth all of the so-called torture.

A/N- There you go! My first chapter! What will happen to Asuka? When will he 15th angel appear? How will Asuka handle being raped? Find out in my next chapter, Not My Fault, hope you keep on keepin' on!


	2. Not My Fault

Neon Genesis Evangelion - Nothing Will Ever Change That

A/N- This is my first fanfic, and I hope it is good. I will be the first to admit that each chapter is not that long, but expect many of them, so please don't make a comment on it.

Disclaimer- I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion or any of the characters. I do, however, own the characters that I introduce into the NGE storyline.

Chapter 2: Not My Fault

Misato's Apartment- After School

"What do you mean you haven't seen her!" I yell at Misato. Apparently, when Misato tried to stop Asuka, she punched Misato and ran.

"After she ran off, I just thought she would go to you" She is using this as an excuse?

"She did but, she ran away after slapping me…" The last part had some sadness in it.

"Why did she come after you? Why didn't she want to talk to me?" I told her what happened last night and what I said this morning.

"So _you _didn't have sex with her… but… oh my God!" She cut herself off.

"What is it Misato?" At first, I saw that her jaw was wide open, and then it came to me.

"Could she be… pregnant?" I asked. What if she was? What would we do? I that why she didn't want me to leave, because she realized this too? No, she just wanted me to be with her.

"I doubt it, but it is a possibility" Ouch. That hurt, it is just now hitting me that Asuka lost her virginity to a complete stranger. I know it sound selfish… but for some reason I always thought it would be me to…

"Hello?" Misato is on the phone, "Yes, Asuka Langley Souryu. Yes. Okay, thank you" I think she is talking to Section 5.

"Section 5 has lost track of her. She's gone." She said with great regret.

"I'm leaving. I going to look for her" I said. I knew that Misato was going to try and stop me.

"I'll help" She said flatly.

"No you won't"

"Why?"

"Because," I said. I'm starting to get sick of this. I start to walk towards the door.

"Because why?"

"Damn it Misato! First, you made Asuka punch you, and now you doing the same thing to me! I swear, if you don't leave me alone, I _will _follow in Asuka's footsteps!" Just then, an ear-piercing alarm goes off.

"An Angel!" We both yell at the same time. Within minutes, Section 5 agents are at our door. I get in the car, next to Rei, and we're off.

---

NERV Headcounters- 4:45 PM

"Sync ratios are 89 for Shinji, and 78 for Rei. Evas are ready to launch! Unit 01, Launch! Unit 02, Launch! Both Evas are on the surface!"

My comm. screen pops up and I see Rei on my right and Misato on my left.

"We have no clue what the angel looks like or what it can do or even where it is, but the MAGI is 100 sure that it is an angel." Ristuko yells.

"Then how will we engage it?" Rei replies calmly.

"No idea. Just wait there until I say otherwise." She replies flatly.

"So we just wait here to get attacked? That's all your computer can come up with?" I'm in a really pissy mood right now, so I was in no mood to fight right now. I needed to find Asuka and this damn angel is preventing that.

Two hours later

"Damnit! I'm sick of waiting! Ritsuko! Get me out of this Eva, now!" Just then, I hear a girl screaming.

"Angel detected! Shinji! Watch out!" A huge crash soon follows.

"Angel is in orbit around Earth! Not another one of these…" A NERV staff member says.

"Shinji? Shinji! Are you okay?" Is all I hear. I think that it's Misato, but I'm not too sure. All I see is black. All I hear is Misato yelling my name.

"AAAAHHHHH!" I'm in excruciating pain, it feels as if my brain is about to explode. Now I can't hear anything. Images start to develop in my mind;

"Mom? Mom! I'm coming!" I yell as I see her face. I'm running towards her, but she is disappearing. Now I hear my father's voice;

"Failure. Useless. Not my son." At least he got the last part right. He's gone, now I'm able to see Asuka. She seems mad, but I can't hear her. She looks like she did on that one night after her… rape. Her shirt is torn, and her pants are un-zipped.

"You did this" she said, and it hurt.

"N… no I… didn't…" I'm close to tears at this point. She starts to walk away; soon, she's out of sight. I just lay there, crying at her words. Then, I hear a baby crying, and then I see her again.

"You did this to me," She looks very pregnant. 8 months into it at least. I try not to look, but I can't help it. This sweet, 14 year old girl that I saw as the most beautiful girl in the world was pregnant.

"Please… stop… I didn't… do anything!" I'm yelling so loud that my throught hurts.

"You left my side at that party, you let me go into that room, and you let me run away. You're no better than Gendo." That hit hard. Was it my fault? It was all too much.

"AAAAAAHHHHHH!" I can't take it anymore. I'm about to crack.

"NO! NO! NO! I'M BETTER THAN HIM! I'm not a monster… I'd rather die then be like him.

"You destroyed the ones you loved. You're the same. You ruined my life… and he killed your mother. Like father like son." What?

"M… mother? He killed my mother? And… I ruined… no. I didn't do anything! It wasn't my fault!" The pregnant Asuka walks away. I'm left alone crying in the dark.

"No… please… help me… Misato… Rei… ASUKA! Help me! I can't take it anymore! What the fuck is this?" I just can't stop sobbing. I look down to see my legs slowly disappearing.

"Oh my god! No!" I'm clawing at my legs, as if trying to get away. "No! I won't die! I still have to help Asuka! Asuka! I won't leave you! Not ever again!" I black out.

A/N- I think I'm getting better at this! What will become of Shinji? Was the mind-rape too much for him? Will he die? Find out in my next chapter; Asuka's Room, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	3. Asuka's Room

Neon Genesis Evangelion - Nothing Will Ever Change This

A/N- This is my first fanfic, and I hope it is good. I will be the first to admit that each chapter is not that long, but expect many of them, so please don't make a comment on it.

Disclaimer- I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion or any of the characters. I do, however, own the characters that I introduce into the NGE storyline.

Chapter 3: Asuka's Room

"Help…me…" I can't see or hear anything. Suddenly, I feel myself being plunged out of water. I hear a voice, but I can't make out what they are saying.

"jfiwnj! ihswi! shnian! Shinko! Shinji!" I'm slowly coming too. I see Misato's face, she's crying.

"Shinji! Wake up! Get a doctor over here now! It'll be okay Shinji." I black out again.

I hear a soft 'beep, beep, beep' in the backround. I sit up and see a certain blue-haired young woman in a bed next to me. Her crimson eyes are open, staring at the ceiling. Her profile against the window is beautiful. I'm staring at her for a couple of minutes before a voice cuts in.

"Beautiful, isn't she?" I turn to my left to see a woman, but I can't tell who it is. The sunlight from the window has blurred my vision.

"Misato? Is that you? What happened?" I ask blindly, slowly my vision came back.

"Don't insult me! I'm not that sagging whore!" It was Asuka! I can't believe it!

"Asuka! Where did you go? I missed you so much!" I take her in a tight embrace and hold her for all I'm worth.

"Nnnn!" She hummed painfully. Something happened to her.

"Asuka? Are you okay?" I look down to see a sling around her arm. Then, I look up at her face, she's crying.

"Shit! Sorry Asuka! Are you okay? How did this happen?" still crying, she takes a few minutes to respond. But truthfully, I wish she hadn't.

"Angel" was all she said. That's right! I forgot about the angel. I instinctively jumped up out of the bed. When I'm up I see that Asuka is wide eyed.

"Nice…" Is all she says'. I look down to see that I'm completely naked. From head to toe, I don't have one piece of cloth on my body.

"CRAP! Sorry Asuka!" I get back in the bed, "All I have been doing since I woke up is apologizing. I must look like a total dork." It was true, almost killed by an angle and I just got done flashing Asuka.

"Its okay, Shinji. The last part made up for it… by far." She said seductively. Her eyes were bright and lively. Those two sapphire orbs glistened in the light. Her hair was shiny red, and she has never looked more beautiful.

"Where did you go?" I started to cry, "I missed you so much…" I had to stop, I did not want her to see me cry.

"Shinji… I'm sorry. I shouldn't have run off like I did. I said things that I shouldn't have. I do want you around. I do want you to help me and I want to help you. I know that this sounds corny, but you're the only person I feel comfortable around." She was really opening up.

"Asuka?"

"Yes, Shinji?" she replied with a wide smile.

"Thank you."

"You too... Shinji-kun." That instantly brought a smile to my face.

---

Misato's Apartment- Three Weeks Later

I am sitting on the couch. Just recently, I got out of the hospital. Dr. Akagi said that I was luck to be alive. If it wasn't for Rei, I'd be dead. When the 15th angel started to mind-rape me, Rei was able to use the two rocket launchers as propellers to reach the 15th. Rei then simple tore the angel in half. She was almost killed as well, but she was able to get back to Earth. Rei also pulled my ejection plug out of Unit 01 and saved me. I do owe her my life now…

"Are you kidding me? No, I won't!" Asuka has been pissed off at Misato ever since she punched her. Asuka was ready to apologize to Misato, but then Misato said, 'You'd better be sorry! In fact, you're grounded for the next month!' It was kind of bitchy for her to say that, though. Asuka comes into the living room to rant.

"Shinji! I swear, either you make her leave me alone or I will!" And I knew she would, too.

"Asuka, calm down, now… what did she say?" I asked with a concerned voice.

"That bitch wants me to get on the pill! Just because I was raped once, does not mean it'll happen again! I'm not pregnant and I don't plan on getting pregnant for a long time, if ever!" Asuka was right, Misato went too far on that one.

"Asuka! Get back here right now! I'm not done with you yet!" Misato comes raging into the living room with a devilish look in her eyes.

"Look Misato, just because you sleep around like a whore, does not mean I do!" That was just wrong. This will not end well.

"Ohhh, you've gone too far you bitch!" Misato lunged at Asuka like a hungry wolf.

"_Du Hure_! I'll kill you!" Asuka screamed.

A/N: Anything written in _italics _is a person saying something in a language different from Japanese.

I go over and pull Misato off of Asuka only to get punched my-self in the face by Misato. The room suddenly goes quiet.

"Look what you did!" screamed Asuka. I touch my nose to find a steady river of blood coming from my nose.

"Shinji! I'm… she… I'm so sorry!" Misato apologized.

"It's okay, it doesn't really even hurt." I lied, it hurts like a bitch! I think that she broke it.

"See what you do, Misato? First, you drive off Kaji, then you drive me and Shinji to the point of wanting to kill you, now you do this! I'm so sick of it! Just because you're the Major at NERV does not mean that you are above us! It only takes one phone-call from either me or Shinji to get your ass fired!" Asuka was steaming! She's kind of cute in a creepy sort of way when she gets like this.

Misato broke out in tears, know that all of what Asuka just said was true. She tried to make out words, but couldn't, she just ran to her room.

"Serves that bitch right!" Asuka said. She then grabbed my hand and literally drug me out of the apartment.

"Where are we going?" I say as we walk. She loosened up her hand soon and I was now walking on my own.

"We are going to NERV. They offered me a room to stay in and I said to just hold it. So now, were moving in there.

" WE! But you said a room. Only one? Where will I sleep?" I was serious, I've slept with Asuka before, but not that often!

"Don't you worry, I'll bring in a sleeping bag. You don't think that I would let you get a couple of free feels, do you?" I wanted too, but… she would KILL me if I did make a move.

"Are you sure you want this? I mean, Misato WAS just being herself…" was my excuse for not moving out. That was a seriously stupid thing to say.

"In there lies the problem! Neither you or I can handle her anymore, so we're out!" I laughed I little at the last part, her real personality is starting to come back.

"Okay, if you're sure about this. If you want it, then so do I" I sound like a spineless dork.

When we get there, Asuka talks to Ritsuko about moving in, though she leaves out the part of me moving in too. The doctor does not deny it, and we're in! Even I had to admit that Misato was getting annoying.

"We go to her new room, which was HUGE! It was already fully furnished and had a closet full of school clothes and undergarments.

"Now the only time we need to see that slut is when there is an angel!" Only one more angel though…

"Yeah, your right. Man! This room is awesome!" I glance over at her king-sized bed and envy it. Soon, I will be sleeping in a bag next to a bed that could easily fit two… I always feel bad when I think that way about her. I never want to look at her as an object, only as a person.

"I'll go get your stuff, be right back!" Before I could stop her, she left.

"Please don't fight Asuka…" I said aloud.

---

Asuka's Room- Two Hours Later

I hear the door open with a loud 'swish'. I see Asuka holding a sleeping bag and a trash bag full of clothes. I also see that Asuka has a black eye.

"Here you go! All of your stuff is in here, I looked around your room to see if I missed anything, which I did, but you don't need them. Pervert." She said that last part with a wide smile. Oops.

"Asuka… what did you do? Did you fight with Misato again?" Stupid question, of course she did.

"Nah, she threw one punch when I walked in. I got her back though." Damn, Asuka is feisty today!

"Okay, as long as you didn't kill her. Where should I set up my sleeping bag?" A little off topic, but I needed to change the subject.

"Over here is just fine…" She said in a musical tone. She then pointed next to her bed.

A/N- When it comes down to it, Asuka is one tough cookie! Find out how Shinji and Asuka handle being roommates in the next chapter; A Day At The Beach, until then, keep on keepn' on!


	4. A Day At The Beach

Neon Genesis Evangelion - Nothing Will Ever Change This

A/N- This is my first fanfic, and I hope it is good. I will be the first to admit that each chapter is not that long, but expect many of them, so please don't make a comment on it.

Disclaimer- I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion or any of the characters. I do, however, own the characters that I introduce into the NGE storyline.

Chapter 4: A Day At The Beach

"Ouch!" I yell as Asuka woke up and stepped on me. Talk about an alarm clock.

"Well then move!" That was her alright. Her personality normally drove people of, but in my case, it just made me want to get closer to her. Which I have been trying to do…

"You stepped on me! How about you watch where you're…" I stopped right there, not wanting a kick to the groin.

"Good boy, don't talk back," She said in a playful voice. She sure knew how to push my buttons and seduce me into doing whatever she wants.

"You want something to eat?" I asked in habit of always making breakfast.

"We don't have a kitchen! _Dummkoepfe_, how are we gonna cook without a stove?" I almost said, 'Because I'm fricken' magic!'… but I didn't.

"I found a weird thing in the wall, it's a stove with some plates. It pulls out and I'll be able to cook on it." Man, her room had everything!

"That's cool! While you cook, I'm gonna get changed. Do NOT peek… or else! I know that I'm right behind you but if you look…" She then puts her finger across her throat.

"Okay, I get the point! I won't peek! But why are you getting dressed?" I started to make some Belgian Waffles when she answered.

"It's Sunday! We have one day off a week and I'm going out! You can stay if you want, but I'm going to the beach!" That last word made me jump up and turn around.

"But the beach is four miles away and we don't have a car!" Oh crap. I peeked.

"Pervert!" A half naked Asuka comes over and slaps me across the face. It was worth it though…

"Sorry!" I go back to making our breakfast.

"That's right you are! Now as I was saying… we can get Section 2 to drive us down there, we'll just say that we're meeting someone there," She came over to me and said, "You wanna come with? You could use a tan, you're starting to look like Rei."

"Sure, let me just finish getting breakfast ready and we'll leave." When she was done eating, I got my bathing suit together and got changed.

"No peeking from you either!" I said in a playful voice.

"I've already seen it. Don't flatter yourself." Ouch. It was true though…

---

At The Beach- 10:00 AM

"Asuka! You're wearing that?" I yell as I see her take off her shirt and shorts. Underneath was a two piece, yellow bikini that left little to the imagination.

"Well… yeah. Why?" She really didn't see anything wrong with it. She is really proud of her body. She should be, too. Being German, her fiery red hair men would die for. Other parts of her body were also enhanced by being German…

"No reason. What do you want to do?" I say as I finish taking off my shirt.

"Good God! Shinji! You are like Rei! Are you albino? You couldn't possibly be any whiter!" I blush at this comment. "Lets just sun-bath for awhile."

"Okay… I brought the blankets." I hand her a red, soft beach blanket and she sets it up on the ground. After a few minutes of an awkward silence, she finally broke it.

"Shinji… do you find me attractive?" That was random, but I still answered.

"Well… yeah, Asuka. You're beautiful. Your face could be on a magaz…" I was cut off.

"Below my neck. I want to know what you think of my body." This is dangerous. Better choose my words carefully.

"Well, yeah. Yes I do find you attractive… why?" I went a little too direct with that one.

"Do you think other men think the same thing?" She shuddered at the last word.

"Yeah, in fact I know. Some guys talk about you at school." It was true, if she thinks that I'm a pervert, she should hear what other boys say!

"And do you think that I show off my body?" That was an obvious question.

"Why shouldn't you? If you are able to, why not?" Yeah… why not?

"Do you think I got raped because of it?" Her voice did not change at all, she just lay there, with here hands folded behind her head staring at the clouds going by.

"Asuka? Why are you asking me this?"

"Just answer the question. I won't be mad. I swear." I knew that she wouldn't be mad, but she would feel bad.

"Well… no I don't. You are always around me with those outfits on and I don't rape you. I think that it's just how some people are, not how you dress." I tried to be a nice as possible to keep her happy.

"So… it's not because of how I dress? Tell me if it is, please, because I don't want it to happen ag…" I cut her off.

"I will NEVER let it happen again." I'm going too far, "That is the one promise that you can hold me to for the rest of my life," I need to stop, "As long as I have air in my lungs, I will protect you," I seriously need to stop, "And you know why?" I am next to her leaning on my elbow and inches from her face, "Because I love you, and I always will. Whether it's from angels or just some common street thug, I will always protect you. I love you Asuka Langley Souryu, and nothing will ever, ever change it." She was obviously surprised, and so was I. I never knew that I could be so forward with her.

"Shin… ji?" Barley a question, but I answered.

"Yes." The conversation ended there. We spent the rest of the day in the sun; no words were said all day aside from a 'thank you' muttered from her mouth when I gave her a hamburger I had just bought. I called Section 2 around 3:00, and they came pretty quickly. Asuka didn't bother to try to cover up her bathing suit, and neither did I. Nothing, not even the 16th angel, could have bothered us. When we got home, she just watched a gaming show on T.V.

A few occasional laughs came out of her during the show, but no words. I knew that I should have stopped; I probably just ruined our relationship with my simple three words. Finally, after three hours of silence, she turned off the T.V.

"Shinji, do you find me attractive?" Dumbfounded, I answered.

"Um… yeah?" I said with a questionable voice.

"How's my body?" She once again asked.

"Asuka? Why are we having this conversation again?" I did not want to re-live what happened earlier today.

"Because… I want to…" She stopped.

"To what?" I wanted her to continue.

"T… to hear you say that again." Oh my God.

"Say what?" I already knew.

"I want to hear you say to me what you said at the beach." I knew that was coming. If there's a God in heaven, please help me.

"I… I love you… Asuka." I said faintly. I tried not to show any emotion, but I know that I smiled faintly.

"Hmm…" Was all I could hear from her.

A/N- One of my more mushy, filler chapters, but one of my favorite. How will Asuka handle being loved by Shinji? Will she go into seclusion again, or will she embrace it? Find out just what happens in the next chapter; Do You, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	5. Do You?

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Disclaimer- I do not own anything to do with NGE.

Chapter 5: Do You?

Asuka's Room- Morning

I woke up around five in the morning and immediately started to make breakfast and our lunches for school. I didn't expect Asuka to wake up any time soon. She normally hops out of bed five minutes before school starts and runs the whole way there. My back is towards the bed where she lay, but I couldn't help but look at her. She looked so peaceful, so calm. The small amount of light that shone through the window only enhanced her beauty ten folds. Her straight, red hair could barley be looked at without smiling. The profile of her slender body was clear through the silk sheets, and that was – from what I could tell – how she liked it. The words 'A teenage girl can be difficult to understand' that Misato spoke rang through my mind. I disagree with it. I understand her perfectly, I may not know what happened in her past, but I know what she thinks. I know that she thinks that she needs to build up walls to keep people out… and that I just broke down these walls. She was so sprawled out on the king-sized bed that it was actually quiet funny. Always in such control, not wanting to share with anyone or anything was the main thing that attracted me to her. I turn back around to finish up the bacon I was cooking. I put our meals in a single bag and placed our breakfast on the table. I look back at her bed, and see that it was empty. I look over at the stove – or rather, what I thought was the stove – to see the face that defined beauty.

"Shinji," she said without a changed look on her face, "You said that you loved me. Why? How could you love such a demon? I have this personality to drive people like you away, yet you still cling to me. Why?"

"It's because of that personality that I love you. You are everything I'm not. Your strong, strong willed, you are able to stare fear in the eye, and you are a very well-balanced person. That's why I love you." It was all the truth.

"You keep on saying 'love', but do you really know what it means? Who have you loved before, huh?" She was right. I had no idea what exactly love was, I have never loved or ever been loved.

"No. I'm not too sure that I do know what love is, but I think I have a pretty good idea," was my only response.

She responded by moving closer to me, just an inch or two from my face, and I could feel her breasts pressing up against my chest. I tried to not move back.

"Pretty good idea, huh?" She said no more, all she did was narrow the distance between us to the point of our lips almost touching. "Well so do I." With that, she leaned in all the way.

Our lips were now in a tight embrace. Unsure of what to do, I just stood there. She wrapped her arms around my neck and deepened the kiss. I put my hands on her waist and relaxed. She pulled back and looked into my eyes. Those blue orbs. Those same blue orbs are what drove me crazy.

"Do you know now?" unable to answer, I just stood there with her inches from my face.

"Good," she continued, "'cause I still have no idea." Those words would ring in my head for years to come, I just knew it. For once in my life, I didn't feel alone. Once again, she closed in on me, ever so slowly.

Right before our lips met again, she said, "I love you to, Shinji Ikari." Our lips meet with great passion, more than last time. She put her left hand behind my head to deepen the kiss. For once, I responded and closed my eyes to enjoy the moment. It was at that time I realized that I would never be alone again.

I broke the kiss and looked into her eyes.

"Nothing will ever change this… ever." I say before embracing her in a tight hug.

A/N- I know, a very short chapter, but I thought it was appropriate to end it where I did. Will Shinji kiss and tell? Will Asuka do the same? Find out in the next chapter; School, until then keep on keepin' on!


	6. School

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Disclaimer- I do not own anything to do with NGE.

Chapter 6: School

"WOOO! Shinji! Nice!" I look over at Toji who is being held in a surprised Hikari's arms.

"NOOO! Shinji, what did she do to you!" Kensuke cried. His eyes were like dinner plates.

"Asuka?" Said Hikari looking at me, "What are you doing?"

The rest of the kids in the class were in aw. Some literally fainted; some of the other boys gave me a glare. I look down to see Asuka and me still holding each other's linked fingers. We both quickly pull back and blush profoundly.

"What the hell are you looking at!" We both yell in sync. All of the kids went back to there business as normal. I sit down in some random seat and to my surprise; Asuka took the seat next to me, even though there was a person in it. I open up my laptop to find that at least twenty messages were awaiting my response. I close it back up.

"This is going to be a long day," I say as the class starts. I simply put my head down on the desk and went to sleep.

When the second bell rang, that was the cue for lunch.

'Shinji! How did this happen to you?" Kensuke was still on my back about this morning. The fact that both of our lunches were in the same bag didn't help either. Our lunches were both ramen noodles with some hot curry.

"Nothing happened, I already told you! We were just… uh…" Nothing came to mind. What could a boy and girl be doing linking fingers and walking together?

"You were just what, eh Shinji? Holding hands, right?" Toji said. He was right though. I hate that.

"Will you just leave me alone already? Please? I've had enough of it." I was so close to just punching them and ending it right there.

"Come on, Shinji! Just tell us one thing! Please?" Vultures. Couldn't they mind there own business? Might as well end it.

"Fine, you really want to know? You want to know everything?" I wasn't going to tell all, but just enough to get them off my back. "Look, Asuka and me are close now. Really close. I think we are dating, but I'm not too sure." That was all I said.

"Good God! Shinji, you've really grown a spine! Did you kiss her?" Did I kiss her? Well, DUH! But I wasn't going to tell them that.

"No more" I was sick of talking.

"Fine. We'll stop. He made-out with her." Shit! He's right! Now it's going to be all over school! Unless…

"Hey Toji, is Hikari a good kisser? She looked like she was really enjoying it!" I never saw them kiss, but I know that they did. I could tell by the look on her face. Toji's face instantly turned red. He wasn't blushing, he was on fire!

"Okay! Enough! No more talk about girls!" he quickly said, trying to change the subject. Both me and Kensuke shared a well deserved laugh.

"You gonna keep it up?" I asked.

"NO! We'll stop!" Replied Toji.

---

Class- 5 minutes Till Final Bell

I was right. This was probably the WORST day of my life. After lunch, Asuka got mad (what's new?) at Hikari for asking if she kissed me. Now, when the day is finally over, the teacher caught me and Asuka sending messages on the computer… and read them aloud.

"So Mr. Ikari, do you mind telling the class what is so important that it couldn't wait till after class? No? Then do you mind if I read it?" I nod my head, what was I supposed to do?

"Let's see here… it seems like you were having a little chat with Miss. Souryu," her face instantly went white, and she plopped her head on the desk. A few gasps and giggles escaped the children in the class, "well Shinji Ikari, I thought you would have higher standards then that. Having a smut chat with that demon, your pathetic. I would expect something like this from Asuka, but not the commander's son." He just went way too far. I jump up out of my seat so I am looking the man in the eye.

"Mr. Ikari! Take your seat immediately!" he didn't have a chance to say anymore… unless he didn't mind talking with a bloody lip. All of the children in the class gasped, and Toji got up and grabbed a hold of me.

"Whoa! Shinji, calm down!" Toji was right, but that son-of-a-bitch had no right to call Asuka a demon.

"Security! Get in here now! I have a violent student in my class!" The teacher says over the intercom. I saw what was coming up next.

"Oh shit!" Toji yelled, "Shinji! What the hell did you think you were doing?" hell if I knew, but I couldn't just let him insult the only person that loved me the same way I love them. The guards start to run in and immediately tackle me to the floor. That fricken hurt!

"Ikari! Calm down right now!" I hear the sound of snapping handcuffs on my wrists. The guard closed them too far and now they are pinching me.

"Get off of me!" I yell as I struggle to get away. I really need to stop; I'm making this a bigger deal then what it needs to be. I can't help it though; the mix of adrenaline and an over abundance of hormones is making me crazy. I was able to turn around on the floor and knee one of the guards in the gut. Physical harm. That was there cue to pull out their guns and point them at me. Looked kind of stupid, Toji later said, two cops pointing a 9mm at a fourteen year old handcuffed boy on the floor.

"That's it! Get this kid to the car!" one of them yelled. And they did as they were without question, and within seconds, I was out of the room.

---

Police Station- 3:30

"What were you thinking? Assaulting a teacher AND a guard? You do realize that we could lock your ass up for this, right? But, because of your considerate father, you get…" I cut him off, his little speech needed a correction.

"Yeah, my father is considerate, killing my mother and leaving me out in the cold for thirteen years. You don't know him so don't go throwing compliments unless you know what your talking about!" I was yelling by the last part. I looked up at he officer and I saw that he was saluting, not to mention he was wide eyed.

"Mr. Ikari! How nice to see you!" the officer said. Oh crap. I look behind me to see that son-of-a-bitch who claims to be my father. He was just standing there with the same look he had planted on his face 24/7.

"Hello Shinji. What have you gotten yourself into this time?" was all he said. I was the next one to speak… even though I didn't want to.

"Hello, Commander Ikari. As for what I've gotten myself into… I'd say pretty deep shit would about cover it," I've really started to grow a pair lately.

"I can see that, how serious are the charges, officer?" he asked as if I wasn't there. What's new?

"Well, he's got two charges of assault to a teacher and an officer, which WILL get him expelled and COULD get him in prison, but his time – if any – in prison will be your chice," great, a man that hated me is choosing my prison sentence.

"Punish him to the full extent of the law. I believe that charges such as these will get him three months in prison, am I correct?" Gendo asked. 'Gendo asked', I like the sound of that. I'll start to call him Gendo – not Commander.

"Yes, but what if those things attack?" he asked my fa- Gendo as he was un-cuffing me.

"He will be released until further notice. If he runs, you have full authority to pursue and capture him," Of course he would say that. In his eyes, all I'm good for is piloting the Evas.

"Whatever you say Commander!" The officer was obviously surprised at Gendo's comment.

"Is that all?" Gendo asked flatly.

"Yes, do you want me to take him to his cell?" Damn, this is real; I'm really going to prison.

"Of course. Treat this young man as a normal inmate. No special treatment, and if I find that any of you do, there will be consequences," Gendo is serious about this, he really wants me in prison.

"Come on, hurry up, I don't have all day!" The cop said as he dragged me. When we got to a large hallway with cells lining the walls, he said, "You were right, he is a bastard. Sorry for this," with that he throws me in a cell. I'm alone in this small room. The walls have peeling paint on them, on one side there was a few hundred marks counting the days. This is my home for the next three months.

---

Prison Cell- One Month Later

"Damnit!" I yell simply to hear another human voice. They don't talk to you in here, they just slip your meals through a little slot in the door. I have had no visitors since I got here… not even Asuka. I knew that love was just a thing in fairy-tails. I will never be loved or ever show love. I am just here, that was it. There is no love in the world. Mothers claim to love their children, but at the first sign of trouble-making, they hit their 'love'. Families claim to love each other, but then talk about each other behind their backs. It was all just a word, no more, to get young children to sleep at night. Those same young children will go on believing this lie until they come to the conclusion that I have. "Like it matters…" I say out loud. It did matter to me for a short while. That's why it hurts so bad, because I let another person break down the emotional walls that I have built up over the years. I am alone and I might as well get used to it. "Alone…" I say one last time.

"You sure 'bout that?" I hear a voice beyond the cell wall. I look up to see Asuka, now stripped of my love. 'Nothing will ever change that…', I was wrong. She changed it.

"Yes," I replied flatly. I was sure about it.

"Ya know what Shinji? You sure are easy to get down. Now where's that young man I've grown to lo…" I was so tired of this.

"Love? Now – if you don't mind – tell me what the HELL that is. I thought I new, but I was greatly mistaken!" I lost the definition over this last month, and I doubt I will learn it again. I walk over to her so just the bars are separating us. "Well? Can you?"

"Yes, yes I can. And I know that you know too… hold on," she continued to talk right through me. She pulls out a large silver frame with a picture of my mother in it, "Do you know now, Shinji?" Yes,she was the only person in my life that actually loved me.

"Where did you get that?" I ask in a voice that could kill.

"It was your birthday yesterday, wasn't it?" I forgot; she was right. It was my birthday yesterday. She hands me the heavy frame and smiles.

"Thank… you, Asuka," I couldn't get the right words out.

"That wasn't your only gift…" with that, she grabs my shoulders and kisses me through the bars. I pull back hard, not wanting to share a kiss with her or anyone else in my life.

"No," was all I said.

"Shinji, you're dense, ya know that? You hate me before I'm even able to explain myself. You know how I hate to not be in control! Now shut up and listen! You father found out about… that morning – damn Section 2 agents - and he forbade me from seeing you. So, I just snuck in here after running away to lose Section 2. I have been trying this whole time, but they always caught me," she was right, I didn't listen to her.

"Asuka… I'm so sorry! I just thought that you…" I couldn't talk anymore.

"Nothing will ever change that. Remember those words. Now… for your gift…" she said in a seductive voice. She is gentle this time; she softly puts he arms around my neck, and leans in.

A/N- There you go! Shinji's in prison and Gendo doesn't give a damn! Will Shinji fall back in love with Asuka? Will there be another angel? Find out in the next chapter, Those Lips, until then keep on keepin' on!


	7. Those Lips

Neon Genesis Evangelion - Nothing Will Ever Change This

Disclaimer- I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion or any of the characters. I do, however, own the characters that I introduce into the NGE storyline.

Chapter 7: Those Lips

My last day in prison. I'm finally out at twelve midnight tonight. Asuka said that she would be waiting outside to give me a 'welcome back' gift. I can already guess what it is… and I can't wait!

"Your last meal in here," the guard said, "Kinda sad, ain't it?" This guard and me have become friends in the past few days, he would always sneak me in a few extra cookies with my lunch.

"Yeah, real sad! Hell no! I'm finally out of here!" I said enthusiastically. This got a laugh out of him. With that, he was gone. Probably the last time I will see him. I just sit back and wait for twelve to creep by.

---

Prison Doors- 12:00 Midnight

I just got a kick from the guard, a simple 'good-bye' would have done just fine, but whatever. I'm instantly invoked in a tight hug from Asuka. Though I did not see her face, I know her hug; tight yet gentle at the same time.

"Shinji! You're finally out! It's about time they let you see the light of day!" She yell half to me, half to the guards.

"Yep, by the way, why did you wait outside? It is a school night, you'd better get to…" she cut me off by putting a finger on my lips.

"Shinji… it's summer! It has been for like, three weeks now!" I forgot! We get three months off!

"What else did I miss?" I knew that she had some kind of gossip from school, I could see the burning look in her eyes.

"You have no idea! Let's see… Toji and Hikari are finally showing affection in public, the teacher you punched quit, and… I'll tell you at home…" that last part made me shiver. She quivered when she said it.

"Okay, tell me everything when we get home," And with that, we walked off.

---

Asuka's Room- 1:00 AM

"You know when I said 'I'll tell you at home', well here it is. You know that guy that…" I cut her off so she didn't have to say it.

"Yes" I hate that man more than my father.

"He tried the same thing two days ago…" No. I jumped up out of my seat and started to walk off. I was going to find that sick bastard.

"Wait! He didn't DO anything, I said he tried. I don't know how he got into NERV, but…" once again, I cut her off.

"You're kidding me! How the hell did he get in here!" now I'm pissed. NERV is supposed to protect us, Asuka could have been killed!

"I don't know. But he knocked on the door, so I opened it and he came in. But he didn't make it far, this time, I fought back. I doubt he'll be having children. NERV guards came and arrested him. It turns out he was a cereal rapist." Oh my God.

"I wasn't there to protect you… again. Damnit! What the hell is wrong with me! I can't even protect myself, how can I protect the ones I love? Asuka, I'm so sorry!" I can't believe that it happened again.

"Oh, shut up! It wasn't your fault! You went to prison defending me. I'm fine, and he's in jail now, so he won't be harming anyone again! You really need to think outside the box, Shinji!" she was right, but still… I wasn't there.

"I'm proud of you Asuka," and I was really glad that she was okay, "You were able to face what you feared most, and you were able to able to rid yourself of that fear. That is the main reason I love you." Nice speech Ikari, you just won the corny award of the year.

"Well of course I faced it and won! What did you expect? I'm the great Asuka!" same old Asuka. So self confident.

"Heh, what did I expect? I'm tired, I'm going to bed." It has been over thirty-six hours since I got any sleep. I wasn't able to sleep last night in anticipation for tonight.

"Shin-ji!" She said in a musical voice.

"Yeah?" When I turn back around, I was meet with her beautiful face staring at me. Her smile was eer-to-ear.

"You forgot about you welcome home gift…" I knew it. She wrapped her arms around my neck like always, and leaned in to kiss me. I put my hands on her hips and melted in her embrace. Then, she did something I wasn't expecting at all. She opened her lips and demanded entry into my mouth. Without a moment's hesitation, I replied. I was loving this, her tongue played with mine like a toy, and in reply, so did I. she placed a hand on the back of my head to deepen the kiss, and it worked. This kiss lasted for about a minute, but this kiss would have lasted forever, if it wasn't for the human's need for air. Asuka broke off the kiss, breathing heavily. Needless to say, I was breathing hard too.

"That… was… good…" Asuka said between breaths.

"Yeah…" was all I could mutter. Even though 'good' was far from describing it, I agreed with her.

"Now… we can go to sleep," she said seductively. We? Did she say… we?

"O…kay," I said questionably. She moved over towards the bed and got in.

"Wanna join me, Shinji?" She was serious… she was really serious.

"Um… sure," I said as I made my way over to her, stepping on my now useless sleeping bag.

"No free feels, I said sleep, not sex," She said in a warning voice, "yet…" that last part I didn't hear, I think she just mumbled. I got in and she wrapped one of her arms around me like last time and I quickly fell asleep. That night, a new level of affection was gained.

A/N- WOO! Shinji got a great gift! What is this new level of affection he spoke of? Will he embrace it? Find out in the next chapter; First Date, until then keep on keepin' on!


	8. First Date

Neon Genesis Evangelion - Nothing Will Ever Change This

Disclaimer- I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion or any of the characters. I do, however, own the characters that I introduce into the NGE storyline.

Chapter 8: First Date

"You're pretty lucky Shinji…" Asuka said, waking me up from the best night of my life.

"Lucky? How so?" Like I didn't know.

"You've kissed, lived, slept with, and French kissed me all before the first date. Not an easy task. But still, I have to ask, why haven't you asked me out on a date?" weird question.

"Well, for one, we've only been seeing each other for less than a day, not counting the prison time. So… I guess now is as good as time as ever. Asuka, will you go on a date with me?" I already knew the answer.

"Of course, as long as you don't take me anywhere cheap!" Kinda saw this coming. This will not be cheap.

"Don't you worry, I've got something planned. Why don't you get dressed in a nice dress and I'll be right back." She knew something was up.

"Right back? Where are you going?" To empty out my bank account. I almost said it, but it would have ruined the moment.

"You'll see. Just get dressed, and be ready to go." Today is actually going to be fun.

"Okay," With that, she got up and went over to her closet. She didn't even wait for me to leave before she took her shirt off, so I looked away. "You just gonna stand there gawking? You told me to get dressed, so I am." Here is this beautiful girl, in the same room as me with nothing but panties on. She's right, I am lucky, even though I didn't see anything, I came damn close.

"See you later!" I didn't need to change because I still had my clothes from last night on.

"Kay! I'll be ready when you get back!" Not wasting any time, I left.

---

Bank- 10:30

"Ugh! Three years of savings and all I have is this! It'll be enough for lunch, but that's it!" I was talking out loud again, and I was getting some looks. I guess I could just take her to the beach, where I first confessed that I loved her. Let's just pray that will not piss her off. On the way back home, I bought her a new swimsuit (two piece) that was the same as her old one, but this one was the exact shade of her hair.

"Asuka? Can I come in?" I want to make sure I don't walk in on her dressing.

"Yep, come on in!" when I press the button to open the door, I see her in a beautiful dress. It was a dark blue dress that went down to her shins, and had a slit on the right side that went up to her upper thigh. The top of it had a V cut on the front with two spaghetti straps for holding it up. The back of it revealed all of her back, down to her lower back, which had three strings to tie it with. It hugged her in all the right places, fitting to her every curve. She looked amazing.

"Whoa…" was all I could say.

"You like? It's new; I got it when you were away." Like it mattered when she got it, I was just in aw.

"I like it a lot. Nice job," More than a nice job! "Just let me get dressed and we'll leave."

"Well hurry up! It's going to take awhile to get there, the nearest place to eat is over three hours away!" I tried to hurry, but it was awkward having her in the room when I was changing, she said she wouldn't look, but I saw her steal a few glances.

"Okay, I'm ready," I offered my hand and she took it.

"Wait! How the hell are we gonna get there? We can't have Section 2…" I cut her off.

"I already called a cab, just relax, I took care of everything." Except for making a reservation. Crap! Good thing I have my NERV ID on me. Both me and Asuka outrank most people in Japan. All I have to do flash my ID, and we're in. A couple hours later, we are at a restraint called '_Minage kue_'. It was French and expensive as hell!

A/N- No, I don't know what it means, I just made it up.

"We're eating here! Shinji, this is great!" Sure as hell better be. But I'm just glad to see her so happy.

"Yep, and it's all for you. I hope you like it," Let's just hope they have good food here. I have read some things about this place; it's supposed to be one of the best places to eat in Japan.

"Do you have reservations sir?" the man at the front asked. I just pulled out my ID, and he grabbed a couple menus.

"Right this way sir…" he walked us to a booth with a window view, and it over looked Tokyo-3.

"Not bad Shinji, I approve," I knew she was joking, but that did sound a little conceded.

"I'm glad you like it. Any idea what you're going to get?" Man, I haven't seen her this happy in awhile. It makes all this worth while.

"Nah, I just need to look to see what they ha… oh shit!" she was looking beyond my shoulder at something, I turn around to see Gendo with Ritsuko at a table talking. It looked like they were… having fun.

"It can't be… is that Gendo… AND Ristuko?" I just couldn't believe it. Was my father dating her?

A/N- I'm not going make a big deal about GxR, but if you want me to, I'll write a side-story with it, just say so in your review.

"Shinji, it's your father! What are we gonna do? If he sees us, we're dead!" Like I cared.

"What is he gonna do, huh? We're the Eva pilots, so if he tries anything, we'll just say we won't pilot." Even though we would be lying. I know that neither of us would let everyone die.

"Good plan. In reality, he can't do anything." We were safe… for now.

---

Same Place- An Hour And A Half Later

"That was awesome!" Asuka stated after finishing the last bite of steak. She got the steak with a side of broccoli and cheese soup. I just got a spaghetti dish with sauce and meatballs.

"Yeah, it was. All of those articles were right, this place is great!" It was all worth the money, seeing her happy, seeing her in the beautiful dress… and just plain seeing her.

"So, you did some research, huh? How cute!" That comment made me blush, but I got her back.

"How long did you search for that dress, huh?" she turned beat red, and she gave me a look that was both loving, and angry.

"None of your business!" It must have taken her awhile, not many dresses sre for her age and look like that.

"So… um… Asuka, your birthday is coming up soon, two weeks now, right? What do you want?" I believe that she forgot, because the look on her face was really surprising.

"Don't you worry, I have a plan…" That… scared me. Wheat does she have planned? "You'll just have to wait!"

"Don't you want anything? Like a real gift?" I was confused, she had to give me time to get something.

"A gift? Yes. An object, no. That's all I'm gonna say for now." I had no idea what it was, but I hope she likes it. We left shortly after that, she thought we were going home…

---

Beach- 3:00 PM

"What are we doing here? I didn't know we were going to the beach, why didn't you tell me!" She was annoyed, but not for long…

"I wanted this to be special, so… it's kind of like a reunion. Does this spot mean anything to you?" We were standing on top of the spot where I admitted my secret.

"N… oh. Yeah, yeah it does. This is where it all started," the look in her eyes was a mix of joy and sadness, "This is where you were able to get through my emotional walls and open my mind. This is also where I admitted to myself that I do have the ability to love."

"Yeah, so I was wondering, do you want to stay here for awhile?" Knowing her next words, I pulled out the bikini.

"But I don't have a…" she stopped when she saw it, "You thought of everything, didn't you? Okay, let me get changed." With that, she went into one of the many changing tents set up, and so did I. We met back outside a couple minutes later.

"Shinji, have you gotten a tan?" Well, after last time I made it a point to tan every week.

"Yeah, does it look okay?" Stupid question.

"It looks great… you look more manly with it. Your body is pretty good too…" The last part she said with a smile. I just blushed.

"Uh… thanks…" a very awkward moment. I never really took notice to how I looked. We laid down next to each other and just talked for awhile, until she brought up a touchy topic.

"Ya know, Shinji, other girls talk about you. Back when we were at school, I would hear other girls talk about you. I didn't like it. They would talk about your personality, which I was fine with, but when they would speak of your body, I didn't feel comfortable. Many said that they asked you out before, and you rejected them. I just want to know, would you ever date another girl?" That was an easy question.

"Of coarse not. I would never do anything to ruin this relationship. Not ever." It was true. Even if we broke up – which I highly doubt – I wouldn't date.

"Do you ever look at any of the other girls?" well, yeah, but I'm not gonna say that!

"No," why does this spot always bring up bad conversations?

"You sure about that? I see you looking at Ayanami sometimes," she was right, I do look at her sometimes, but it wasn't for pleasure, it was just me wondering why she is

so quiet. She spoke after a couple of seconds, "If you had to choose, who would it be, Ayanami or Hikari?" Oh crap.

"No choice. Like I said, I would only love you, and no-one else." I wouldn't be able to love anyone else.

"Come on, I won't be mad. Hikari's kind of cute. It'd be her, huh?" I can't avoid this.

"I guess I'd go with her, not like it matters. Why do you ask?" I have to handle this carefully.

"Just curious. Also because of the fact that she talks about you… a lot." That caught me off guard and made me cough.

"What! But she's with Toji! Why is she talking about ME?" I didn't know that Hikari could talk like that.

"She said that Toji is nice, but he's a little pushy. She didn't even want to kiss him the first time she did, he forced her." Wow, I couldn't believe this.

"Okay then, since you did this to me, you have to do one," I'll get her back, "Kaji or Toji?" she blushed instantly.

"Come on! That's not fair! You gave me a choice between a pervert and stooge!" I almost pointed out that she used to be head-over-heels for him.

"Come on! You made me do it, just go!" and she did. But to my surprise, it wasn't Kaji.

"You'd date Toji? Why? You used to like Kaji!" Damn, I really wasn't expecting that.

"Well, you didn't really give me mush of a choice. Kaji was a pervert and a jerk, At least Toji can be nice." It ended there.

"Are you ready to go?" Asuka said after a couple of minutes.

"Yeah. Was today fun?" I hope she had a good time. She leaned next to me so those eyes were right in front of mine.

"Today was wonderful. Thank you, Shinji," with that, as a last move of the day, I entered a photo booth with her. Three pictures flashed and we waited a minute for them to pop out. The first picture was of her leaning her head on my shoulder, the second was of us hugging, and the third – and the last – was that of us sharing a kiss. After that, we went home.

---

Asuka's room

"My legs are killing me!" Asuka said, taking off her shoes. She put back on her dress before leaving the beach so she would be covered up.

"Do you want me to get you some medicine?" I asked in concern

"Nah, I just need to…" suddenly, a blasting alarm went off.

"The final angel…" we both said.

A/N- one of my better chapters, I think. Hope you liked it as much as I did. What will this new angel be like? Will Shinji, Asuka, and Rei be able to stop it? Find out in the next chapter; Please Don't…, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	9. Please Don't

Neon Genesis Evangelion - Nothing Will Ever Change This

Disclaimer- I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion or any of the characters. I do, however, own the characters that I introduce into the NGE storyline.

Chapter 9: Please Don't…

NERV

"Eva Units are prepped for launch! All three Evas are on the surface and ready for combat!" a NERV crew member said.

"Well where the hell is the angel? I don't see anything!" Asuka shouted.

"We don't have a fix on the angel yet, but the MAGI is certain that it is around you location!"

"Well that helps, can't you do anything right?" Asuka once again shouted.

"Asuka, calm down! We'll just wait until we see something!" I say. Then, an ear-piercing scream cam from Rei.

"Angel detected inside of Unit 00! It's taking her over!" Ritsuko said.

A/N- I know, I changed the angel, but I think you'll like the change…

"Eject the entry plug! Get her out of there!" I yell, even though I knew they couldn't do anything.

"We can't, it's not responding! Rei's trapped!" Crap! What will we do?

"Well then what can w- AAAAAHHHHHH!" That was Asuka! I look over to see her Eva on it's knees.

"Asuka! What's happening!" I already knew, she was being taken over too.

"Attack the threat!" I heard a deep voice yell. It was Gendo.

"Are you crazy! Our pilots are in there!" Misato debated with him, but it didn't work.

"Shinji! Attack the 16th NOW! It's either them or us!" Gendo was trying to convince me to attack to one I loved and Rei. Yeah right.

"No! There has to be another way! I won't attack them, I WON'T!" I completely refused his order.

"Fine… insert the dummy plug!" What? Was he really going to kill them? No… even he's not that stupid.

"But sir, they…" Gendo gave them a hard look, "Okay… inserting the dummy plug now." I see the LCL starting to turn red, it's slowly enveloping me.

"NO! What are you doing? Please don't kill them! Father!" My begging goes unheard. My Eva jumps onto Unit 00 and starts to tear at it. "Make it stop! Make it stop! Please!" I rip off the chest plate of Unit 00, "NO! I have to stop! Move you damn monster!" my Eva rips at the bare chest of Unit 00. Blood is everywhere. Soon enough, it finds the entry plug, I am now holding it in my hand, "No… please… stop it!" I can feel the grip on the plug harden.

"Please… Don't…" Rei begged me. Seconds later, the plug is crushed. I'm able to see a steady river of blood leaking through of the fingers of my Eva.

"REI!" She was gone… and I killed her…

"Shinji! Help me!" I can hear Asuka yelling. My Eva turns toward her and starts to charge. Unit 01 grabbed her Eva by the neck and slammed her to the ground. She is screaming in pain.

"Asuka… no… please… STOP!" But it didn't. With Unit 02 on the ground, my Eva brings up it's foot and slams it down hard on her left arm, instantly dismembering it.

"AAAHHHH!" that scream was just terrifying. My Eva then brings up it foot again and slams it on the neck of Unit 02. Its arm and legs are flailing around, it's head is shaking from side to side. The head suddenly goes limp, and so do the limbs. I can see inside Asuka's plug through my com. screen. Her knees are on her chest with her arms hugging them. Her head is on her knees and she is screaming in pain.

"Please… Shinji… Don't… Ki- AAAAHHHH!" My Eva rips of a leg from Unit 02, "Why… are you… do-AAAAGG!" I rip off another leg, and Asuka raised her head to look at me. Those eyes wear full of tears that would instantly fade in the LCL when the were formed. I rip off the last limb, and Asuka is sobbing. "What… are you… doing?" I can't stand to look at her, but I feel compelled to. She is so scared, and I'm causing it. Her bottom lip is quivering and she is looking at me with begging eyes.

"Internal battery has expired!" My Eva went limp and everything goes black. I just lay there weeping, until they eject my plug several hours later.

---

NERV Hospital

I'm in my bed crying, the last time I saw – will ever see – Asuka she was begging me not to kill her. I did, though. I have the blood of both Rei and Asuka on my hands. I hear a rolling cart down the hall, but I don't think much of it. I can remember when I first met Asuka, the first time I said that I loved her, our first date, and our first kiss. That very date ended just hours before. All of those images are flashing in my mind, then the look on her face before I killed her appears.

"Please make these images stop…" I plead. "Please…" I look over to see a medical cart stocked with surgical supplies. Then… a thought crossed my mind, "There must be…" I say aloud as I search through the cart, still lying down. "There has to be… here, found it…" I whisper to myself. I hold a knife against my neck, "I'm coming Asuka…"

A/N- There you go! The fanfic is not over yet, though, so just wait until the next chapter comes out and find out what else can happen in the next chapter; My Fault, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	10. My Fault

Neon Genesis Evangelion - Nothing Will Ever Change This

Disclaimer- I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion or any of the characters. I do, however, own the characters that I introduce into the NGE storyline.

Chapter 10- My Fault

"I'm coming Asuka…" I say aloud. Starting to push on the knife, I start to feel the sharp tip of it stat to puncture my skin, "I'm coming…" suddenly, I hear a woman shout and grab my hand. It was Misato.

"Shinji! What are you doing?" What does it look like?

"Misato… I killed… Asuka… Rei…" I can barley talk. I just wish she would let me go.

"Killed? No. The dumm…" I elbowed her away. I did not want to hear any excuses right now.

"I let the dummy plug take over! Did you see Asuka's face? DID YOU! She was terrified of me and I killed her! I promised to protect her with my life, but I was the one that killed her! I also killed Rei, I owed her my life and I killed her! Don't you ever say that it wasn't my fault… because it was." I was sobbing, knife still in hand.

"Asuka… is not dead," She better not be kidding.

"You'd better not be fucking with me Misato…" was she serious?

"Do you want to see her?" I answered quickly.

"YES! Take me to her now!" her eyes were full of concern.

"She… I wouldn't see her right now," To bad.

"Who cares what the hell you think? I'm leaving!" I get up out of bed and run down the hallway, looking into each of the rooms. I finally find Asuka's hospital room and go inside. I walk slowly to the edge of her bed, making sure this is not a dream.

"Asuka?" I ask, praying she is okay. She slowly turns her head towards me. The same face I saw before struck her.

"No… get… away… NOOO! Get away from me! Help!" I jumped back, scared out of my mind.

"Asuka… please…" I can't believe what I'm hearing. Is she really that afraid of me?

"Don't hurt me… please… don't kill me…" She is breaking my heart, hearing her beg like that is horrible.

"Asuka, I would never…"she cuts me off.

"LIAR! You said you loved me… and you tried to kill me. You don't love me… all you care about is Eva!" nothing could be farther from the truth. I grab her by the shoulders and make her look me in the eye.

"Asuka! Stop it! I do love you and nothing will ever change that! Remember those words? We both said them, and we both meant them!" she is silent now. Nothing is said for several seconds. "I love you…" I muttered. She says nothing, so I take action. "Damnit!" I lunge forward and embrace her in a tight kiss. After a couple of seconds, she loosens up and melts in my hands. I lean back and look in her eyes. "I love you, Asuka."

"Shin… Shinji? Why did you want to kill me?" with that, she fainted.

---

NERV Hospital- 1 Week Later

I haven't left her side since that day. She has asked me too a couple of times, but when I refused, I would see a faint smile on her face. I explained to her that the dummy plug was the one that tried to kill her, she has accepted that and so have I. To an extent, I will always feel partially responsible for what happened, but not fully.

"Shinji?" She was trying to get my attention. I walk over to her bedside and kneel next to it.

"Yeah? Ya need something?" Lately, she has been more open to ask for something if she wants or needs it.

"What compels you to stay with me? I am in this hospital, and not to long ago I was terrified of you. Why do you want to be with me so bad?" she was having an emotional breakdown recently, so I've been trying to help.

"I already told you, you're everything I'm not. I need you around to keep myself going. I know that sounds selfish, but it's true. I need you just as much as – deny it or not – you need me." Another speech.

"I love to hear you say that…" she's actually telling me what she likes? That's something new.

"You're gonna be able to go home soon, 1 more day I believe Dr. Akagi said." And then I get to be with the real you again.

"Yeah, my birthday is also in six days. Don't think I forgot about your gift!" That's the girl that I love!

"You still have to tell me what it is you're having me do," I still had no idea what I was supposed to do.

"I'll tell you when the time comes… for now, I'm going to sleep." And she did so holding my hand.

---

NERV Hospital- The Day After, 3:00

"Bye Dr. Akagi! Thanks for the help!" I called out to her. She saved Asuka, and was able to save her from physical scarring.

"Remember not to stress Asuka out, she is still recovering." Still recovering. I disagree with that. She seemed fine in my eyes.

"Shinji… can you carry me to my bed, like you did that one night? I feel comfortable in your arms." I did what I did before, I turned around and linked the back of her knees with my elbows, she wrapped her arms around my neck and we were off.

"Mmmm… this is nice…" she moaned as we entered her room. She looked so peaceful. I set her down on her bed, and started to walk off when she grabbed my arm.

"I said I wanted it to be like the other night… you slept with me didn't you? Well then come on, you look more tired than me." I got in and we took our normal pose of her arm and leg around me. I always fall asleep fast like this.

"Thank you Shinji… I love you," she said before falling asleep.

A/N- Scared you didn't I? Well, there both alive and back together. Sorry to all Rei fans out there. What does Asuka have planned for Shinji? Will her birthday be worth while? Find out in the next chapter; Asuka's Wish, until then keep on keepin' on!


	11. Asuka's Wish

Neon Genesis Evangelion - Nothing Will Ever Change This

Disclaimer- I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion or any of the characters. I do, however, own the characters that I introduce into the NGE storyline.

Chapter 11: Asuka's Wish

Asuka's Room- Asuka's Birth Day

"Oh, Shin-ji!" She sang. Whenever she does that I can't help but smiling, her voice is just so beautiful.

"Yeah?" today was her birthday, and I had to do something that was still a mystery to me.

"I'm ready for my gift now!" Finally! I've been waiting for ever to know what it is! I turn around to see Asuka laying down on her bed with a bottle of lotion.

"This is what I want you to do… all I want for my birthday is a back-rub. After noticing just how strong you are at the beach, I've been thinking if your good at it. So today, I'm going to find out!" Asuka was not normally big on this kind of stuff, kinda suppressing, but what's new? Everyday she amazes me.

"Um… are you sure that's all you want? Not that big of a present, is it?" I'm just making sure that she wants this.

"Yes, I'm sure! What you don't want to make me happy?" She had those batting eye-lashes on, "Well then come on!"

"Okay, sure, if it's…" She cut me off.

"Damnit Shinji! I said I wanted it! Now turn around!" I do so and I hear some rustling then it stops. "Okay, you can turn around now!" I turn around and see her. A lot of her. She has taken off her shirt and laying down on her stomach looking at me.

"Whoa…" I absent-mindedly muttered.

"Earth to Shinji! This is my present, not yours, so come over here and massage my back!" I walked over to her and put some of the vanilla scented lotion on my hands.

"Hey! That's cold! Slow down a little! I want to make this last…" she purred the last part. I slow worked my hands across her smooth, bare back. "That's… nice…" she moaned. "A little higher, and go harder…" this may be here gift, but I'm enjoying it too. Who would have thought that the same girl that would always punch me and call me baka would let me touch her like this. Within the first few minutes of our first meeting, she slapped me and piloted an Eva with me. Back then I really thought I would hate her.

"Hey Asuka?" I needed to know something.

"Mmm Hmm" she hummed.

"Why do you pilot Eva? And don't say because you trained you whole life to.I know that there is a deeper meaning." I knew that I was in for hell for asking, but I wanted to know.

"Never really thought about it. I guess to be recognized, to be someone, to be noticed." She didn't seem like the kind of person that would care.

"Why do you crave that?" I say as I make my way to her lower back, keeping an eye where I put my hands, all she was wearing was a pair of short-shorts!

"Probably because of my moth… never mind. Careful how low you go." Her what… her mother? Come to think of it, I don't know anything about her past. At a better time, I would need to ask.

"Look, Shinji, there are some things you don't want to know about me. Let's just leave it at that for now, okay?" On second thought, I'll just drop it for good. The way she said that creeped me out. "Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing!" I look down to see one of my hands firmly gripping her butt.

"Ah! Sorry!" oops. Didn't mean to do that, hope it doesn't ruin her time.

"That's your only warning!" she said in a teasing voice. We just talked about random this for the next hour, all the while me massaging her back.

"Okay… that's good! Thanks Shinji, your pretty good at that, gotta have you do that more often." She said while stretching.

"Anytime Asuka, I'd be happy to." That came out wrong.

"I bet you would, now turn back around, I need to get my shirt on," I did as I was told and waited.

"Kay, you can turn around now." She was still pulling down her shirt over her stomach when I did.

"You want to do something special? I didn't plan it, but I think it's appropriate. So, you want to?" I didn't know what it was, but I hope it'll be good.

"Sure, what do you have in mind?" When I said that, she walked over to the CD player and turned on some slow music.

"You know how to dance?" she said looking at me with a sweet smile. She knew could.

"Yeah, sure. I didn't know you could though…" I really didn't, I have asked her before, and she said no, so that's why I've never asked her.

"Of course I can! Now come over here…" I did without protest.

"You want me to lead?" I ask. Normally the man does lead, but she likes to be in control.

"Of course not! Your supposed to! Now put your hands here… and just follow the music." She put my hands on her waist, and she did the same to me. This was pretty nice…

"Thank you, Shinji. This was one of the best birthdays ever…" with that, she placed her head on my shoulder. "I really enjoyed it."

"Me too. I'm just glad to see you happy." I always loved it when she was like this. So generous, so nice, so calm.

"Just wait until tonight…"

"What was that?" the music covered up her soft voice.

"Nothing. Just keep on dancing, I'm enjoying this" and so we did, for quite awhile actually. Up until seven at night I believe. Not a word was said, we just enjoyed the other's company.

"Okay, that's enough for now… thanks." I let go of her and turn off the music.

"Hey! I didn't say to turn that off! We'll need it soon…" I turn it back on, curious as to what she meant. "Turn around one more time," I did again and waited. This time it took her quite awhile to do whatever she was doing. "Okay, you can turn around now!" When I did, I saw that she changed into a long shirt that went down to her middle thigh and was wearing – I would later find out - panties underneath.

"Getting cozy?" I asked as she walked towards me.

"Yeah… let's go to bed…" Confused, I pointed something out that made me

sound denser than lead.

"But it's only seven. Your tired al… what are you doing?" She got under the covers and invited me in. I got in so I was facing her.

"I'm going to make you a one-time offer. If you don't accept, I won't be mad, but don't expect it again for awhile."

"What… is it?" A little nervous I, listen to her carefully.

"Do you wanna feel?" Holy crap! She was serious! The look on her face was really serious!

"Um… s… sure…" Her eyes looked at me hungrily. She moved in a little closer to me and buckled out her chest a little.

"Go ahead…" slowly, I reached out my hand and tucked it under her shirt. "Your hand… is cold…" She said softly. I pulled back, my hand still under her shirt, and stopped. "I didn't say to stop…" she knew how to play me alright. I put my hand back down and began to massage. "Mmmm… Shinji… you are… mmm… good…" She continued to moan the whole time. That night, I'm sure that she could be heard outside of the air-tight door.

A/N- Nice! Shinji got a little gift too didn't he? Before you ask, they did not have sex; they just had a little fun. Will anyone find out about there little adventure? How will Asuka cope with not being an Eva pilot? Find out in the next chapter, The Fifth, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	12. The Fifth

Neon Genesis Evangelion - Nothing Will Ever Change This

Disclaimer- I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion or any of the characters. I do, however, own the characters that I introduce into the NGE storyline.

Chapter 12: The Fifth

"Asuka! Let me in! Are you okay?" I heard a woman yelling from outside of the door. It's early in the morning.

"Coming!" Asuka yelled back. I was surprised that she got up this early in the morning. "Shinji," she whispered, "I need to get up, move your hand." I looked down to see that I feel asleep with my hand on her breast. I move and let her get up.

"Who is it? It's five in the fucking morning!" Asuka was pissed.

"It's Ritsuko! Let me in!" Crap! I jump under the bed so I was not to be found, I was not supposed to be here. Everyone thought I was living in my own apartment.

"You can't come in, I'm getting dressed. What is it?" I listen to the woman outside the door as I crawl out of the bed quietly.

"One of the Section 2 agents said that they say a boy came into your room, and then a couple hours later, he heard moaning. I was just checking on you to see of your okay." That was pretty funny. I knew she was loud. She really has to calm down when we're 'having fun'.

"No, I'm fine, I just had a nightmare. Is that all?" she was a good liar. I have to watch out for that…

"Then who was that boy that came into your room?" Ristuko was catching on. Better be careful Asuka.

"No-one came into my room. Those agents need to lay off the crack!" I knew Asuka would say something like that.

"Okay Asuka, drop the crap. I heard you last night too. That was no nightmare you were having. Let me in," I jump under the bed again, "or I will just come in myself. I do have the lock code for this door."

"Fine, but I told you, no-one is here!" I hear the swish of the door opening and see Ritsuko's feet walk by.

"Okay, were is he? I saw the security cameras, and it was this room. Either you tell me where he is or I'll call a search on this place." Man! I'm dead! What am I going to

say when I get caught?

"Fine… Shinji, come out. We're busted." How could she! I crawl out from under the bed and meet her face to face.

"Uh, hi Rits'." Her face was shocked to say the least.

"Shinji? No way! YOU were here? Oh God, what will Gendo say?" I hate that man, so I don't really care.

"Nothing happened! We were just… uh…" Asuka couldn't think of anything. Truthfully, neither could I.

"You were just risking getting pregnant, right? I need to… wait… has Shinji been LIVING here! He has, hasn't he? I'm dead! I was the one that gave you this room!" She was freaking out.

"Not if you don't tell anyone! Look, if you give Shinji a room, this will all be sorted out. Just say that Shinji wants to live closer to the Evas or something!" Asuka sounds like she already thought about this.

"Good idea, but the only available room is next to this one, and I obviously can't trust you to make good choices. Wait… I'll have the fifth room with you, Shinji!" The fifth?

"The Fifth? What are you talking about? I thought that we killed all of the angels." I said.

"That's right! We haven't told you yet! A fourteen year old girl is moving in from America. She will be piloting the Eva Unit 05."

"WHAT? Like hell Shinji will be rooming with another girl!" Asuka was pissed.

"Why do you care, it's not like you're dating… right?" Crap. Asuka's gonna kill her.

"Well… ah screw it." Asuka grabbed me and planted a kiss on me. What the hell was she doing? "Does that answer your question?"

"Now what was that supposed to do? All it did was fuel my suspicion of you two." Ritsuko was right, that didn't prove anything. Not to say I didn't like it.

"Look, the only way I'll allow this is if you place a camera in that room and let me watch it at the end of the day. I trust Shinji, but not her!" Asuka didn't even know her.

"Sure, as long as you don't tell anyone about what you did." She said. Like that would be a problem.

"When will this happen? My moving and the Fifth coming?" I ask.

"Tomorrow." Was all she said before leaving. When she was out of sight, Asuka grabbed my shoulders and looked at me.

"If I find that you cheat on me with her, not only will I kill her, but I'll cut off your…" I cut her off.

"Look, Asuka, I will never betray you, I swear. I said that I will always protect you, I that means from emotional harm as well." That seemed to calm her.

"Okay, I trust you. But I am serious about the camera." I was fine with that, it's not like I have anything to hide. Time went on as normal; we talked about random things, until night.

"Hey, Shinji. Tonight's our last night together, wanna have some fun?" Again? She sure is feisty.

"Asuka, we can't, what if we get caught again? Plus, we're only kids." She hates to be called a kid.

"Two things; one, I'll be more quiet this time, so we won't get caught," yeah right, "and two, yeah, we're kids, that's precisely why we should have a little fun. Come on Shinji, you are good at science, what happens to teenagers who have raging hormones?" She was right. "It's not like I'll let you get to far, you're still VERY far away from having sex with me." Like I didn't know that.

"O… kay." She slowly moved into the bed, and I met her in there pretty soon after. She does the same thing as last time, moves in closer to me and buckles out her chest.

"Go on, I'm ready," keeping in mind what she said last time about my hands, I quickly rub them together. I slowly reach up under her shirt and do the same thing as last time.

"Ohhh!" she's being loud again, "Shinji yo…" I put a finger over her mouth. She understands. "Sorry, I can't help it," She whispers, "I just love your touch…" Though she still moaned from time to time, she was way quieter than before.

A/N- Who is this new Fifth Child? Why do they need her? And what will Asuka do as a first impression? Find out in the next chapter; Nice To Meet You, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	13. Nice To Meet You

Neon Genesis Evangelion - Nothing Will Ever Change This

Disclaimer- I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion or any of the characters. I do, however, own the characters that I introduce into the NGE storyline.

Chapter 13: Nice To Meet You

NERV

"Shinji! Asuka! Come meet your new co-pilot!" Ritsuko's voice rang throughout the station.

"We're coming, keep your head on!" Asuka was NOT happy about this. She didn't want me to be in another room with another girl, but it couldn't be helped, it was either this, or we BOTH go back to live with Misato.

"Shinji, Asuka, I'd like you to meet the newest addition to NERV, Sammy… uh… how do you pronounce your name again?" To think a doctor can't pronounce a, American name.

_"My name's Sammy Simmons, nice to meet you!"_ What the hell was that?

"Whoa! Look, you're in Japan now, so speak the language! Now, repeat yourself, this time in a tongue we understand!" Asuka was raging again, great first impression.

"Oh, sorry. My name is Sammy Simmons, but you can call me Sam. It's nice to meet you!" This new pilot was actually bearable. I was expecting a demon spawn. Instead, I find this long-brown haired, tall American. I could get used to this…

"Sam, I'll show you to your room, oh yeah, this is your roommate, Shinji Ikari." The look on the new pilots face was priceless.

"Please tell me the red-headed one is Shinji," yeah right, you'd be dead already.

"Sorry, but because of… personal issues, Shinji – this one – will be your roommate. Trust me, nothing will happen, he's a very nice young man. Plus, he's tak…" Asuka glared at her.

"Okay… if you say so. Shinji, you want to show me to my room?" Apparently, she said that with too much of a 'flirtatious' tone to it, because Asuka blew.

"Okay _hure,_ I'll set something straight with you right now; Shinji is taken, and if I find that you lay one finger on him," I thought she looked at me for this part, "I'll kill you." Needless to say, Sam was shocked. To avoid any more fights, I guide Sam to her room.

"Okay, this is it. Hope you like it." I say to her as she stepped inside. I've only been living in this room for an hour now, but I already knew everything about it. It looked exactly like Asuka's room, down to the types of sheets they had on the bed.

"Wow! It's so big! It's like a hotel suit! I get to live here?" sure is hyper, huh?

"Uh… well, yeah. I'll be in here too though, so it will actually seem cramped." She still was not too fond of living with a boy.

"Shinji, one quick question though… where do I get dressed? This is just one big room, so… what?" I was laughing. I had forgotten about that, me and Asuka had pretty much not cared about it.

"Sorry, but see that closet over there? Half of it is yours, so when you're getting changed, just don't turn around. I'll do the same," to an extent, the look on her face was funny.

_"Oh, hell no! I am NOT getting dressed in front of a guy!"_ I had no idea what she said, but I could tell it wasn't good.

"Look, you want some reassurance? If that girl you saw, Asuka, ever saw me peek, I'd be dead," I failed to tell her about the camera set up above the door. This did seem to calm her, though.

"Oh… well okay. If SHE'S got you in check, I'll be fine. So, when do we get to

eat?" why hasn't the doctor fed her yet?

"Well, you have two options, you cal stay here with me and eat the lunch I'm about to make, or you can go to the cafeteria. I think they're serving meat surprise today…" this was an easy choice.

"I'll stay, so, what are you cooking?" truthfully, I didn't know. I was just going to play my hand and see what I got.

"Not too sure, how about some club sandwiches?" like hell if I knew what they were, but I heard that they are popular in America.

"Okay, you need any help?" she's pretty nice.

"No, I'll be right back though, I need to get some ingredients from Asuka's room." NERV failed to stock her room with any cooking supplies. I made the food for me, Asuka, and Sam and I think they liked it… not too sure though. We had a sync test today, and we needed to get going.

"A sync… test? What the _hell _is a sync test?" groaned Sam, had she not done one before?

"You don't know? Okay, look, you know that big thing you pilot? That's called an Eva, and to make sure you're good enough to pilot it, you have to do a sync test. Just try not to fall asleep." She was right, those were so boring, you just sit in the entry plug for an hour, no talking allowed.

"Well actually… I've never really piloted one. I've been inside of one, and I can control it, but I've never been on the surface walking around in it." Was she serious?

"You're kidding me! Billions of dollars has gone into making Eva and you can't even use it? What the hell?" Asuka really does not like this girl.

"Excuse me for interrupting, but you kids need to get into your Evas now." It was the doctor. We did as we were told and got inside.

"How are the scores coming?" I heard Misato ask. I hope she didn't know about yesterday…

"Lets see, Asuka has a 89 sync, Shinji has a 93, and Sam has a… this can't be right… she has a 99!" Evas are piloted by how your state of mind is, so me and Asuka have good reason to have high scores, but 99?

"No way!" blurted Asuka, "How is this possible?" she was just so used to me being the best, she didn't want to be last.

"Sam? Are you okay? Your heart rate is 165, what's happening?" all of these scores are wrong. I look over at her on my comm. screen and she that she's turning blue.

"Whoa, Sam! Breath! You can breath in here!" How did she not know about LCL? It's basically liquid you can breath, but it's standard for Evas.

_"What the hell are you doing to me!"_ she complained… I think.

"Sorry, we forgot to tell you about the LCL." Ritsuko said.

"What, haven't you ever been in an entry plug?" Asuka seemed to be getting warmer towards her.

"Asuka, Sam pilots an experimental Eva that has actual air, not LCL," well that explains Sam almost suffocating.

"_Damnit!_ Next time will you tell me these things? I kind of need to know! When is MY Eva getting here?" this was the first sign of anger that she has showed. Gotta watch out for that, she's like a bomb!

"Sorry, and Unit 05 will be getting here tomorrow. It's being transported by a boat, so you'll have to wait." Ritsuko went on with the test and we were soon released. In the locker room, I was able to hear the girls talking through the paper-thin walls.

"Hey, Asuka, are you dating Shinji? You sure keep him in check!" She's really asking for it…

"Yeah, I am. And I keep him in check to keep people like you away from him!" So that's why she is so clingy! She doesn't want to lose the only person that has ever loved her.

"Don't you worry, I won't pull anything. Shinji just seems a little plane for me," plane?

I was able to hear Sam leave before Asuka could answer. It seems that Sam has more of an attitude then she lets off.

"So, Shinji, you almost ready?" that scared the hell out of me, how did she know I was listening?

"Asuka? Uh…" I paused for a second, and was punished. She then punched a hole through the wall and was now looking at me.

"You know I hate to be eves-dropped on, but now you see why I don't like her." She started to walk away, when she said one last thing, "By the way, thank you." It took me awhile to figure out that I was talking to her without a piece of clothing on.

A/N- Asuka got a little peek! So, Sam, do you like her? Do you hate her? Fell free to tell me what you thing if you post a review. What will Asuka do if Sam makes a move? What does this now Eva look like? Will Sam really be able to out-pilot the Second and Third? Find out in the next chapter; Seven Sins, until then, keep on keepin' on!"


	14. Seven Sins

Neon Genesis Evangelion - Nothing Will Ever Change This

Disclaimer- I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion or any of the characters. I do, however, own the characters that I introduce into the NGE storyline.

Chapter 14: Seven Sins

"Hey Shinji… you awake?" I wake to a girls voice, expecting it to be Asuka, I spoke.

"Hey, Asuka. Did you like the other night?" I asked jokingly. It has been a personal joke between me and her lately at how loud she can get.

"What exactly did you do?" I rub the last of the sleep out of my eyes to see that Sam was staring at me.

"AH! Sam! Sorry, I didn't… I mean… sorry." This was horrible! If Asuka got wind of this, I'd be dead!

"Wow, Shinji, what did you do with Asuka, huh? Akagi said you would never pull something like that, yet here you are!" I'm so dead.

"Please Sam, don't say anything to anyone! Asuka would be mortified! I'll do anything, just don't say anything, please?" the look on her eyes went black, this wasn't good.

"Anything? Okay, I only want one thing…" I'm not going to like this, "all you have to do to get me to keep quiet is give me one kiss. That's all." Ah man!

"Sam… you know I can't do that," even though I was the only one that knew about the camera, I know Asuka would find out eventually.

"Just one little peck. That's all I'm asking for, and I'll be out of your hair." I look over at the camera, "Okay, guess I'll just ask the doctor why you moan in your sleep…" That was all the convincing I needed.

"F… fine. But not here. I'll meet you in the bat…" the sound of a blasting alarm went off. Wee all meet in the control center to find out what was going on.

"What is this?" I hear a woman shout.

"I knew it wasn't over…" Ritsuko said.

"What's not ov… no. don't tell me that there are more angels!" Asuka yelled. So that's why there was another pilot.

"Yes, you know how the purposes of the angels were to make contact with Adam to make a third impact? Well these, the MAGI believes, represent the worst sides of man. The Seven Sins, Lust, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Gluttony, Envy and Pride will try to bring the apocalypse, not an impact." Damn it, seven more angels!

A/N- No, I did not get the idea for the sins from FMA, it is my own.

"So… which one is this?" not really wanting to know, I ask.

"It appears to be Wrath, at least that's what the MAGI says." I still can't believe this.

"Get to your stations, now!" I hear that same, deep voice that haunts me at night. It was Gendo.

"Okay!" we all yell together.

---

5 Minutes Later

"All Evas are prepped and ready for launch! Sync ratios are 87 for Asuka, 95 for Shinji, and 93 for Sam!" why did her sync drop? "Unit 01, launch! Unit 02, launch! Unit 05, launch!" not hearing Unit 02 launching brought a sinking feeling over me.

I look over at Sam's Eva, quite beautiful actually. It had a graceful shade of orange, and it's body is almost exactly like Asuka's Eva. It was obviously very agile.

"Good God! What the hell is that!" I looked in the direction of Asuka, and see Wrath. It had a solid black body, but it seemed like a hole more than a skin tone. Its eyes were the only piece of color it had, dark red. Those glowing eyes were scarier than any other angel before it. The body greatly resembled that of an Eva, but is was leaning over as it walked, or rather, ran. It never stood still, always running around and punching mountains, buildings, anything that would cross its path.

"Attack the target now!" Gendo once again yelled. Asuka was the first – as always – to attack. She threw a running punch at it's face, but to my amazement, it turned around and caught her fist.

"What the- AAAHH!" the angel threw her over it's head and continued to destroy everything.

"Use your weapons! There not there for decoration, ya know!" Misato was yelling. I pick up an assault rifle and fire away. Hitting every shot, soon I realize something.

"It… doesn't have an AT field? Why not?" it'll be too easy without one.

"I told you that these aren't angels, they are sins. They are so powerful, they don't need one." Oh, that's perfect.

"Whatever, I'm going for it! No AT field, no defense!" Once again, Asuka charges, but this time she makes contact. The sin was sent flying across miles of mountain ranges. "There we go!" she yelled in triumph.

"Nice one Asuka! Sam, what are you doing!" Ritsuko yelled, Sam was just standing there. The look on her face was that of fear.

"Sam, it's okay. We'll protect you, and you'll do the same for us. We come out here as a team, and leave as a team. Just go out there and fight, you'll be okay, I swear." I hope my words got to her.

"I've… never… fought…" she said between breaths, she was panting.

"Look, you know how to throw a punch, right? You know how to pull a trigger too, right? You have three knives on you right now, use them! Show us that you're not a complete waist and fight!" Asuka was actually helping in her own way.

"Fine!" with that, Sam picked up a SMG and ran towards the sin. She lifted up her foot high, and brought it down on the sin's neck. Its arms were thrashing like Asuka's when I… "_Die you son of a bitch!_" she put the gun barrel to the sin's head and emptied her clip on it.

"Damn!" Asuka was obviously shocked. This so-called sweet little girl just got done raining blood over the city. Sam walked over to us, SMG leaning on her shoulder, and just stood there.

"Well? How was I, huh?" both of our jaws hung wide open. She just splattered the brains of a 180 foot monster all over and she was acting like this?

---

NERV- An Hour Later

"Sam! Are you alright? You went crazy out there!" and she did, that was the most gruesome thing I've ever seen.

"Eh, I'm fine! Once you get used to those things, it's pretty fun!" the room suddenly went silent. Misato got up right in her face.

"This is not a game! The lives of billions of people are in your hands, and if you screw up even once, you could kill thousands, or even millions of people. Never treat this like nothing! You hear me!" She was seriously mad.

"Y… yes, ma'am. I'm sorry," with that, Sam ran off crying.

"What's up with Misato?" I whispered to Asuka.

"Shhh! I'll tell you later," Misato turned towards us and motioned us to leave.

---

Shinji/Sam's Room- An Hour Later

"Sam, you really can't act like that. Your worst nightmares are nothing compared to what will happen if you don't take this seriously. You must act on reflex, not what you think. I learned this the hard way…" She looked at me with sad eyes.

"W… what happened?" she is still crying.

"Before you came, there were angels. We were fighting the 16th and final one when it took over both Evas aside from me. Instead of acting on reflex and finding a way

to beat it without hurting my co-pilots, I was engulfed in a dummy plug." I couldn't believe I was telling her this, but she had to know what could happen.

"And… what happened?" I looked at her with blank eyes.

"There was a beautiful young woman named Rei Ayanami, I fought, and killed her. And as for Asuka, I looked into her face right before I came close to killing her, and it was worse than anything I will ever experience. You like me and Asuka, right?"

"…Yeah…" she replied soon after.

"How would you feel if you were to kill both of us? What would become of you? Would you be able to cope knowing that you had the blood of your friends on your hands. Not a pleasing thought? Well then act when you are told to do so." This really cut deep.

"Shinji… I'm… sorry!" She lunges forward and latches on to me. She is now crying into my shoulder. I put a hand on her back and cradle her.

"It's okay, don't worry about it. Just follow my warning, and you'll be fine." She got up after this, and fell asleep on my bed. Man! Now I'M on the floor!

A/N- How do you feel about her now, eh? What will these next sins be like? Will the pilots be able to beat them? Find out in the next chapter; A Night Out, until then, keep on keeping on!


	15. A Night Out

Neon Genesis Evangelion - Nothing Will Ever Change This

A/N- I'll reply to some of the reviews;

Dennisud- Thanks for following the story this far. And as for Rei, no she is not a main character and you'll see why.

Also, many of you are saying to be more descriptive… let me make something clear… I'M 14! I will start to get a little more descriptive, so get off my back. Some of you said that I'm not letting the characters develop enough to have a relationship, well, Shinji and Asuka knew each other for awhile, so not much work to do there, and with Sam and Cass, I just saw them as two teenagers that liked each other a little bit and it escaladed from there.

Disclaimer- I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion or any of the characters. I do, however, own the characters that I introduce into the NGE storyline.

Chapter 15: A Night Out

"Hey, Sam, wake up. It's four already!" Sam really slept in late, no idea why though.

"Mmmm, just a couple more minutes…" Should I? Yeah, I will.

"SAM! There's a snake in your bed!" She jumps out so fast, it's blinding.

"_OH SHIT! _Where! Shinji I- you little ass. I'll give you five seconds… four… three…" I started to run. As I was running, laughing, I tried to talk to her.

"Whoa! You couldn't just sleep all day!" I couldn't contain myself, I was laughing so hard. I stop and she puts me in a head-lock.

"And may I ask why the hell not!" she tightened her grip.

"Sorry, but there will be fireworks soon! You didn't know about the festival?" today was the anniversary of the first Eva being built, and every year we celebrated being able to fight back.

"Fire… works? What for?" I told her the story, and she jumped out of her skin. "I love fireworks! When do they start?"

"In about three hours, once twilight hits. But you have to dress properly…" I continued to talk, "Which means you need a full kimono." She went wide eyed.

"Those things are expensive as hell! I can't buy one!" she was right, they were about a year's pay.

"You can borrow one of Asuka's… if you can convince her to lend you one." I really do hope Asuka accepts. With that, she was off to Asuka's room. I followed her to the doorway, but didn't go in. I wanted to see how this played out.

"AAHHH! What the hell is your problem!" Asuka was already getting ready for the festival… and she was getting changed.

"Sorry Asuka!" She ran out and looked me in the eye.

"Did you know…" I just smiled and walked off. I needed to get ready too.

"Okay, what was so important? You can come in now." I heard them talking through the wall.

"Asuka, can I bor… Oh, come on! At least put some pants on!" This caught my interest.

"Hey, my room, my dress code. Now what do you need?" Silence followed. Then Sam spoke up.

"Can I please borrow one of your kimonos? I will bring it back right when the night is over, I swear! Please? I really wan to go." I heard some rustling and Asuka spoke up.

"Here… now just hurry up and get dressed. We're leaving soon." With that, I heard the door slide open from Asuka's room. "Whoa! Where are you going?"

"To get dressed… why, do you need something?" I saw this coming.

"To get dressed in front of my Shinji? Yeah right! Your dressing in here!" I knew it. About an hour later, I saw both of them walk out. They were both beautiful. Asuka's kimono was a dark shade of red with a light print of leaves, also a deeper red. The white bow around her waist was tied tight intentionally to show off her hips and butt. The bow in her hair was the same color as the leaves on her kimono. Sam's was a light green, with no print on it. The bow around her waist was not even put on right and her hair was being held up by a clip. Asuka obviously left her alone to figure it out.

"Asuka… you look… wow." She was stunning; I couldn't keep my eyes off of her.

"Shinji… can you help me?" Whined Sam as she struggled with her bows.

"Move, I'll do it," Asuka tied the knots with amazing speed. Within a minute, Sam's hair and waist bows were on. "There! Done!"

"Shinji, you look quite handsome yourself…" I saw Asuka's eyes run up and down my body, examining my dark blue kimono. I always liked the girl's kimonos better than the guys. More elegant colors than just blue and black.

"Are you ladies ready?" I said in an inviting voice.

"Yeah!" They both replied in unison. Asuka glared at her.

"I already called for a rind, so we'll be leaving soon." Just then my phone rang, "Yeah… your outside? Yeah, she's with me… Okay, thanks, bye"

"Who was that?" Asked a curious Asuka. I told her it was the driver, and I didn't lie. When we walked outside, a familiar blue sport's car came into view.

"Shinji… you didn't!" Yelled Asuka.

"Look, you need to make up with her. You'll be working with her a lot more often now. Please, just do this for me if not for her." She sucked up her pride and walked up to Misato; who was in a yellow Kimono. Misato made the first move.

"Asuka, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked you to do that. You were right, and I was completely wrong to offer that. Please accept my apology, I need you kids back, even if it's not at my house." This surprised Asuka, A LOT.

"Whatever, just don't do it again." It may not sound like it, but that was Asuka accepting her apology, and Misato knew it.

"Come on, let's go, there going to start soon," She said with a wide smile. As we were driving, Misato brought up the old festival myth, "You know, they say that any couple that share a kiss tonight, will be together forever."

"Yeah, it's a stupid myth. What's the point? If you like the person, you don't need a myth to keep you together!" She was right, I didn't agree with it either. Soon enough, we were at the hill side, ready for the show. Unfortunately, they were delayed. Asuka took me on a walk to pass the time, and we ended up on a bench at the top left side of the hill.

"Are you having fun?" I asked her, she seemed annoyed, yet happy.

"Yeah," that surprised me, "because I'm with you, Shinji."

"Well that's go…" She cut me off with a finger to the lips. She leaned in a little closer to me,

"Are you having fun?" I answered with a nod. "Well, good, because you didn't seem like it before," she removed her finger from my lips.

"Because I wanted some time alone with you, and I couldn't just ask Sam and Misato to leave, so I…" she cut me off once again.

"Yes you could have, if you ever want me all to yourself, just say so…" she said in a very seductive voice, "How about now?"

"Ye…" I started to speak, but I was unable. She had her arms around my neck and started to lean in, so I did the same. I put my hands on her hips right before our lips meet. At first, it was a simple peck, but she turned it into something serious. She opened her mouth, asking for entry into mine, and I don't decline. This kiss lasted for about a minute until she slowly pulled back.

"Not such a stupid myth after all… is it Shinji?" No, no it wasn't. Just then, the show started. We both looked to the sky, and enjoyed it. She positioned herself so her head was lying on my shoulder with my arm around her. Times like these I will cherish forever. When the show was over, I spoke up.

"We should start to get back now, they are probably wondering where we are," I really did not want to leave this spot, but we had to.

"Shinji, thank you for everything you've done. I really do love you, I just ask that you will always feel the same about me…" she must be tired, she never talks like this.

"No… problem." I said slowly.

---

Back With Misato And Sam

"You guys missed i… uh, Shinji?" Sam pointed to her lip and started to giggle. Why was she laughing?

"Woo! Shinji, I thought you didn't believe in the myth!" Misato yelled. Myth? What were they talking about?

"Crap! Shinji, come here!" I walked over to Asuka, and she licked her finger and rubbed my lip. Man! Now Misato knew, too!

"Since when have you worn lipstick, huh Shinji?" I was never going to hear the end of this. Quickly, I change the subject.

"Hey, it looks like there are games over there, wanna play?" looks like to make the festival more fun, people set up some games with prizes.

"Sure, five bucks says that I would win in a game of darts!" Misato was always up for a challenge.

"Okay, better get the money ready," I say, knowing I would win. Misato already had two and a half beers in her, so I think I can win. I do easily, and get a giant teddy bear along with five bucks. Misato actually hit one of the guys in the arm… behind her! That night was pretty fun, we all went home with something, Asuka got the giant bear, Sam got to have the pleasure of turning down over eight guys, I got five dollars and Misato went home with a guy… leaving us there! I had to spend the money I just won to pay a taxi fair for the way home. It was still fun, though.

---

NERV- 11:00 PM

"I'm going to bed, see you in the morning Shinji." Asuka called out to me. I gave her a quick hug and went to bed myself. When I started towards the couch to sleep, I heard Sam call me.

"Shinji?" I answer her by looking I her direction, I did not want to get up. "You know, I was the only one that didn't get a kiss…"

"Well, you turned down a bunch of guys, you could have ju…" she starts to walk over to me and lean on the side of the couch.

"I know, but they were all dorks. You know who I want? I want you…" she said, sounding as sexy as she could.

"Sam… I can't do that. You know that." She started to get on the couch; both of us are now on it. She eventually gets above me, leaning on her knees which were on either side of my hips. Her hands are on either side of my head.

"I know… but I can…" she leans down and makes contact with my lips. The way I was on my back and her above me, I couldn't do anything. She just stayed there, kissing me for a minute. She got up, panting, she said, "Now… that's… what… I want…" she said between breaths. She gets up and walks over to the bed, then goes to sleep. I just stayed there, eyes still closed, for hours before I fell asleep.

"What… have I done?" I whimpered.

A/N- Shinji's getting it all over the place! Will Asuka find out? What will she do if she does? Find out in the next chapter; Leaving, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	16. Leaving

Neon Genesis Evangelion - Nothing Will Ever Change This

Disclaimer- I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion or any of the characters. I do, however, own the characters that I introduce into the NGE storyline.

Chapter 16: Leaving

"You… I… hate… you…" I wake up to see Asuka standing next to the couch where I was sleeping.

"Asuka! I…" she instantly punched me across the face.

"Just… don't… say anything." She must have seen the camera's video.

"Asuka… please, listen," I was once again greeted with a swift punch.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS!" she holds the tape in her hand. "How could you kiss that American slut! Was that kiss we shared meaningless? Was I the only one that felt like we would be together for the rest of our lives? Why did you betray my trust? Why did you pretend to like me? Why… did you…" she falls to her knees crying. I get up and kneel next to her, trying my best to hug her. "GET OFF! Don't touch me! Leave me alone! Just… get away from me," I backed off.

"Asuka, I didn't want to kiss her, if you saw the tape then you saw what happened!" she looked up at me.

"Oh, I saw it! You loved the hell out if it! I gave you everything I had to offer, my love, my soul… my body… and you repay me with this. Please… just stay out of my life. I didn't want to be hurt, but I trusted you to the extent of being the first person I loved. I knew that it was a mistake… I knew you were a mistake!" she ran off after that. This time, I discreetly followed her.

---

Tokyo-3 Streets- One Hour Later

Asuka has been wandering the streets for an hour now. She has been crying as she walks, I want nothing more then to go over and comfort her, but I can't. I was just following her to make sure she was safe. Every now and then a person would walk up to her and ask if she's okay, she would just keep on walking past them. I saw a man start to talk to her at one point. She spoke back, and to my surprise, she started to give a little giggle. With that, she followed him as he walked away. This worried me, didn't she remember what happened last time she did this? She is not in a good state of mind, I need to watch over her. They eventually get to a rusty looking house. It was a one-story house that was in shambles. He led her inside and he went in after her. I quickly went to the door and listened in. I heard his voice talking, but I couldn't understand what he was talking about. Then I heard her gasp, that was my cue to come in. Damn! The door was locked, I had to find another way in…

"Please… don't do that…" I heard Asuka say, I found a window, but it was too dirty to see through. "Stop…" it had bars on it, so I walked around the house trying to find a way in. "Uh! Don't…" I found a basement window that I could get in through. I got a rock to break it with and did so as quiet as possible. Once I was in, I could hear them better, "Don't touch me there… Uh!" I picked up one of the glass shards, tore off a piece of cloth from my shirt and made a handle of it. I hoped that I wouldn't need to use it, but I would if it came to it.

"Come on, baby, I know you want it… here have another hit…" Another? Please don't be doing what I think your doing Asuka! I can hear someone breathing heavy then a cough soon follows.

"There… can I please go no- Uh! Stop! Ah!" I start to run now, when I get up the stairs, I see a beat-up couch with two heads popping up above it. Soon, the man's head get's closer to her head, and she leans back. "No! Leave… me… alone…" I walked over to the edge of it and looked over the back of the couch.

"Who the hell are you!" the man said. I saw him lying on top of her with her blouse undone.

"Get… off… of her!" I take out the home-made knife and show it to him, "GET OFF!" I can't hide my anger. When he sees this, he jumps off of her and reaches to the back of his pants. He then pulls out a 9mm.

"Hey! Back off!" he yells, "She's mine!" that was it; I lunge forward and go for him. I then hear a loud bang and Asuka screaming. The pain in my left arm is unbearable.

"AAHHH!" I yell in pain, but I still run forward, trying to get to him. Three more loud bangs catch my attention. I don't feel the first two, but I do feel the third. A sharp pain in my stomach stops me. I can't even scream the pain is so bad, I can't breathe either. Soon, I black out. Right before I do, though, I hear the voice of the woman I love.

"Shinji!" was the last thing I hear.

---

NERV Hospital

I still can't see, but I have come too. I can't feel anything, not even myself breathing.

"What the hell do you mean it's too late! You're the doctor, you save him! Get your hands off me! You save him right now! Let me go! Shinji!" I can barley hear Asuka yelling, it sounds like she's sobbing.

"Asuka… I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do… he's not going to wake up. It'll be a miracle if he'll live through the night." I recognize that voice, it was Dr. Akagi.

"Please! Save him! Do whatever you need to! Please… save… save Shinji!" she was screaming her head off, I still can't move or talk. "SHINJI!"

"Asuka! Enough! He' gone… you can't change that… there's nothing you could have done!" It was Misato. It sounded like she was crying too. Was I dead? Did I really die back there? No, I still have more to do!

"Shut-up! Don't say that! Shinji's not dead! Shinji's… not… dead!" Please… no… I don't want to die.

"What happened to Shinji? Where is he? Let me see him!" It was Sam, now she's in the room.

"YOU! This is all your fault! I'll kill you!" I heard Asuka tackle Sam, and Sam was screaming.

"Asuka! Get off of her!" Misato yelled, this can't be happening.

"Get me some sedative in here now!" I heard a large being walk into the small room and grab Asuka.

"Don't touch me! What are you doing! You son of a bitch! Sam! All… your…" then I can hear her collapsing. Then someone puts her up on a chair.

"Is Shinji really gone?" Sam asked with a hurt voice.

"Technically, no, but he is comatose. The bullet punctured his liver, small intestine, and a small portion of his lung. It could not have possibly been at a worse angle, truthfully, it will be a miracle if he makes it through the next hour. We have him on life support, a heart pacer, and a nutrition monitor." That didn't sound good.

"Please, is there anything we can do?" Misato asked, practically begging Akagi.

"No. Nothing at all any of us can do, actually. All we can do at this point is wait." Well, thanks a lot.

"Shinji…" I heard Sam say. Did she really care about me?

"Let's leave him for now. He needs to get away from the yelling." I hear everyone leave. 'No! Don't leave me! I don't want to die alone! Please!' I thought, but couldn't say. But they were gone.

"Shin… ji…" Was Asuka still here? She was asleep next to my bed. I'm glad she was here, definitely the person I would want to die next to. 'I'm glad I got to hear you voice, Asuka…'. I felt at peace, and let the darkness come.


	17. GoodBye

Neon Genesis Evangelion - Nothing Will Ever Change This

Disclaimer- I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion or any of the characters. I do, however, own the characters that I introduce into the NGE storyline.

A/N- I'm going to upload ALL of my chapters tonight. Still expect one chapter every night or two, but I was told to put all of them. So, here they are. I wrote all of these after your reviews, so I got a little better – being more descriptive basically – after chapter 23 you should see the difference. Thanks for all of your help!

Chapter 17: Good-Bye

A/N- Sorry, change in writing style, I'm going to write in a third person view for this chapter, sorry for the inconvenience.

"Shinji… please… don't leave me. I need you…" Asuka muttered over the comatose body of Shinji Ikari. "Don't die," Akagi said already said he was dead. His EKG machine rang a constant note five minutes ago. Misato walks up to Asuka and puts a hand on her shoulder.

"Asuka… I'm so sorry. I know it hurts, we'll all miss him." Asuka turns around to see the beat-red, puffy-eyed woman.

"It was my fault, Misato… I told him I hated him… I told him I hated him as my last words to him. Yet, he still sacrificed himself to save me. He died trying to protect me, just like he said. 'I will protect you as long as I have air in my lungs' he told me. He was telling the truth… God, Shinji I'm so sorry!" Misato just stood there crying.

"Asuka…" was all she could mutter. As a last move towards her love, Asuka leans down gently and kisses him with a soft touch.

"I love you… Shinji…" she said before leaving.

---

NERV Hospital- 5 Minutes Later

"Asuka, I know that this a bad time, but it was in his will…" Misato awkwardly said.

"What is it…" he wanted you to have all of his positions, but he asked specifically for you to have this. Misato handed her a large, silver frame with a picture of Shinji and Asuka in their bathing suits sharing a kiss. At the bottom, engraved on the frame, were the words, "Nothing Will Ever Change This". "Oh God..." she broke down in tears, falling to the ground.

"Asuka! Come here, now!" Akagi ordered  
"Now's not the time, Rits'," Misato warned, knowing what's going to happen.

"Yes it is! Just Come here!" Asuka gets up without a word and follows her, clutching the frame in a tight hug the whole way.

"As… uka…" said a young man in a bed as the women entered the room. He repeated these words with every breath.

"Shinji? SHINJI!" Asuka runs over to the boy and hugs him.

"Whoa! Asuka! Get off of him! He's going to get hurt!" Asuka did so reluctantly.

"How? His heart rate was zero… how is he alive?" Asuka asked.

"You knocked the EKG monitor out when you came to and hugged him, therefore causing it to read zero." Asuka was crying over him now. "We were coming in to bag him up when I heard him ask for you."

"What if you didn't hear him? I would have been the one that killed him…" she feel to the floor, sobbing now.

---

NERV Hospital- 1:00 AM

"Has Asuka left his side yet?" a concerned Misato asked. Asuka hasn't left – not for the bathroom or even to eat – Shinji's room since he asked for her.

"No, not yet, I'm taking her some food right now." Akagi said. In her hand was a plate of sandwiches.

"I won't leave you… not again. I'll stay as long as you want me to," Asuka whispered into Shinji's ear as she laid her head next to his. "I'll see you soon…"

"Asuka, you need to eat, please," Akagi pleaded, "At least take a shower, he'll be here when you get back, I promise."

"No, I won't leave his side until he wakes up…" she demanded. Asuka was really determined.

"As… uka… eat…" Shinji once again called out. Asuka went wide-eyed.

"That boy just keeps on amazing me. He's comatose, yet still completely aware of his surroundings. Now do as he says, eat this Asuka." Asuka took the plate and ate it within a few minutes. A small smile crosses the young man's face.

---

NERV Hospital- Morning

"Asuka, here…" Asuka is now propped up on a pillow.

"Mmmm…" Was her reply, she stayed up late that night, she wouldn't be awake for awhile.

"Sleep well Asuka, I love you." A voice rang through the empty room.

Omake-

"Asuka, I know that this a bad time, but it was in his will…" Misato awkwardly said.

"What is it…" he wanted you to have all of his positions, but he asked specifically for you to have this. Misato handed her a large, silver frame with a picture of Shinji and Asuka in their bathing suits sharing a kiss. At the bottom, engraved on the frame, were the words, "Nothing Will Ever Change This". "Oh God..." she broke down in tears, falling to the ground.

"Asuka? What is i… oh my God!" Misato looked at the picture, now changed. The face of Shinji is bloody and torn to shreds… and Asuka seems to be laughing in the picture.

A/N- How'd you like the suspense? I actually shed a tear while writing this! I will be going back to writing in first person with Shinji in the next chapter. Find out what happens in the next chapter; Pilot, Savior, And Miracle Child, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	18. Pilot, Savior, And Miracle Child

Neon Genesis Evangelion - Nothing Will Ever Change This

Disclaimer- I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion or any of the characters. I do, however, own the characters that I introduce into the NGE storyline.

Chapter 18: Pilot, Savior, And Miracle Child

NERV Hospital- Shinji's Room

I lay there, stroking Asuka's hair as she sleeps. She has had her head on my shoulder since I woke up. I've just been staring at her, thinking about what happened to get me in here. It is mostly a blur, I remember a gun, glass, and Asuka screaming. She always looked so peaceful when she was asleep, but right now, she looked like a goddess. Her steady warm breathing on my bare neck relaxed me.

"Thank you Asuka," I said aloud.

"Mmmm… Shin… ji…" she moaned in her sleep. It was so cute how she would always talk in her sleep.

"Just amazing, simply amazing." I can't deny that, this is one amazing girl.

"So are you, Shinji," I think I woke her up, "You saved me, and you deserve the praise."

"Nah, I just got shot. I didn't do anything." It was true.

"You don't remember, do you?" She still haven't moved her head, "You did save me. After he fired a shot, you kept on walking forward, purely on adrenaline. That show's how much you really care for me." She placed a soft kiss on my neck, which made me shiver.

"Really? But what about Sam? I betrayed you, that was unforgivable." I've come to believe it WAS my fault, I could have done something to avoid it."

"No, I asked Sam about it, she said that it was all her doing, she forced you," Yeah, but still…

"Can we just leave it at that? Try not to hold anything against her, please," I didn't want anymore conflict.

"Okay, I won't, but only because you asked," good.

---

NERV- One Week Later

"Shinji! Wake up! We need to go now!" I woke up to Asuka yelling in my ear, I woke up – not only to that – but a blasting alarm

"Not another one!" I yell, knowing that another sin has arrived.

---

5 Minutes Later

"Units 01, 02, and 05 are ready to launch! All Evas are now on the surface, kids, can you see the sin? It should be… sloth!" Wonder what it can do with a name like that.

"What is it going to do? Walk slowly in front of us? Really!" Asuka wondered the same thing, apparently.

"Asuka! Watch out, it's coming towards you!" I turned to her direction to see this huge, green monster. It walked on all fours, and had the shape of a turtle, but with a huge head. It's eyes were black, with little white spots in the middle of them. It seemed to have launched a missile-thing at her.

"Oh crap! Wait… that didn't even hurt… what was that supposed to do?" the rocket just disappeared when it hit her, no explosion, no harm. But it had to do something.

"Huh… the MAGI says that it was a direct hit, but I don't… Asuka! What's going on in there! Your heart rate is 85!" What was happening?

"Can't… breathe…" she gasped. Her Eva wasn't moving either, just standing in the same position it was in before it got hit.

"Get her out of there! Eject her plug, now!" Akagi commanded.

"Please… help…" she was breathing even slower now. The sin just stood it's ground, not moving an inch. In a couple of seconds, her plug goes flying out of the Eva, soaring many hundred feet.

"Nothing can be slower than death… sloth," we all jumped at the rasp voice bellowing throughout the city. It was the angel. "That wasn't aimed at her Eva, it was aimed at HER… she's as good as dead." That was enough for me to attack. I grabbed one of the SMGs available, while Sam pulled out her progressive knife.

"Misato! Make sure Asuka's okay, we'll take care of this thing!" we both lunged at it in unison, she landed on top of it's 'shell' while I was inches from it's face. "Eat lead you bastard!" I pull the trigger and empty my clip, when the smoke cleared I saw that it was gone, just an oval replaced it. "Should've seen this coming, fricken' turtle!" I screamed in frustration.

"S-2 mine being transported to your location, blow it to hell!" on of the NERV employees yelled.

"Nice! Kiss your ass good-bye!" Sam was really pumped! Think I'll let her do it. "Mine armed, haul ass Shinji!" I was right about her being agile; she ran twice the speed of my best! When we got a pretty good distance, the mine blew up.

"Good one! Ah, crap! Asuka! Are you okay!" I almost forgot about her!

"Asuka's fine, but so is the sin! Sam, we're giving you another S-2 mine, try again, the MAGI estimates the sin losing over half of its health." Sam ran over to the mine, and put it on Sloth's back, "Give me three more!" Damn! She was serious! They did so and she put them all on the sin… and ran like hell! This thing had enough explosives on it to take out the whole city!

"Duck!" she ran to the ground and awaited the explosion, it came, and was loud as HELL! Sloth was killed, and the effects on Asuka went away.

---

NERV Hospital- 9:00 PM

"We've been spending a lot of time in here lately, huh? Hope this isn't a sign of things to come," I said as I sat next to Asuka's bed.

"I don't know why I'm in here, I feel fine!" We always had check-ups after battles, and hers obviously wasn't too good.

"It'll be safer if you do, just stay the night, and you'll be out in the morning. Tell you what, in the morning, I promise to carry you to your room, how about that?" I knew she loved to be carried, so I tried to make her a deal.

"Promise? Fine, I'll stay, but so are you!" I was going to anyway!

"Promise. I won't leave, your heinous!" this brought a smile to her face, but she still gave me a light hit.

Omake-

"We've been spending a lot of time in here lately, huh? Hope this isn't a sign of things to come," I said as I sat next to Asuka's bed.

"I don't know why I'm in here, I feel fine!" We always had check-ups after battles, and hers obviously wasn't too good.

"It'll be safer if you do, just stay the night, and you'll be out in the morning. Tell you what, in the morning, I promise to carry you to your room, how about that?" I knew she loved to be carried, so I tried to make her a deal.

"Promise? Fine, I'll stay, but so are you!" I was going to anyway!

"Promise. I won't leave, your heinous!" this brought a smile to her face, but she still gave me a hard slap… really hard.

"That's master to you… now drop em' and smile…" Asuka said hungrily.

A/N- Five sins left! Which one will be next? How will it affect the pilots? Find out in the next chapter; Another Asuka, until then keep on keepin' on!


	19. Another Asuka

Neon Genesis Evangelion - Nothing Will Ever Change This

Disclaimer- I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion or any of the characters. I do, however, own the characters that I introduce into the NGE storyline.

Chapter 19: Another Asuka

NERV

"Another! Who will it be this time, some Canadian? Ya know, I'm really starting to get sick of all these surprises!" Asuka had just learned – as have I – that there is another pilot on the way.

"No, he's not Canadian, he's… just wait. I think you'll like it," Ritsuko tried to reassure her, but it wasn't working.

"HE! Damnit! Not another jock!" she was just in a bad mood, her day didn't start off too well. This morning, Misato asked about 'us'… and it didn't go too well. Misato asked if we had kissed yet, Asuka replied by making a comment about Kaji, Misato shot back about me, blah, blah, blah. I didn't really care about what was said, all I cared about is that she was pissed.

"Yes, he. And because of a second male pilot, Sam will be moving in with you, Asuka; and the two boys will be rooming together. I know you won't like being away from your little playmate, Asuka, but too bad. Gendo has been on my back lately about you two," she said the wrong thing.

"Playmate! What the h- where do you think you're going! I'm not done with you yet!" With that, Akagi walked off.

"By the way, he'll be here in an hour!" She yelled as a last word.

---

NERV – One Hour Later

Asuka just stood there, staring at the new pilot.

"Hey, how's it hangin'? I'm… ya know what, just call me Cass." said the strange new man. He was a red-haired tall sixteen-year-old. He was at least five foot ten, and he was really tough. He was dressed in a full army uniform, pants tucked in boots and everything. No medals hung from his shirt, so I guessed he was a private.

"H… hi…" both women said in unison, memorized by this apparently handsome man.

"Let's see if I can get this right; this is Shinji Ikari. Male. Japanese. Pilot of Unit 01 and the Third Child. This is Sammy Simmons. Female. American. Pilot of Unit 05 and the Fifth Child. This is Asuka Langley Souryu. Female. German. Pilot of Unit 02 and the Second Child. Nice to meet you guys," with that, he leaned down and kissed Asuka's hand.

"Uh… Shin… ji…" She muttered, liking the kiss and hating it at the same time.

"So, you're German, eh? So am I, just got out of the army, fighting humans was getting too boring, so I accepted the offer made to me by the German Government. It's nice to know that I'll be around a beautiful German girl instead of those others at war." A little pushy isn't he?

"Okaaay! That's enough of that! Here, I'll show you to your room," trying to end this, I butted in between the two.

"Damn, man! What the hell is your problem? I can't talk with a fellow pilot? What is she, your girlfriend or something?" well… actually…

"Yes, yes she is. Now BACK OFF!" I scared the hell out of him with that. Just because he was bigger than me, didn't mean he was tougher.

"Okay, fine! Just take me to my room!" Like I was going to do that. This guy was a serious jerk. I just walked off to MY room. He can sleep in the lounge.

---

NERV - That Night

"Hey you little bitch, let me in! Come on, I'm tried!" Sam was in Asuka's room and I had this one all to myself.

"There's a couch in the lounge, go in there. Either that or sleep in the hallway, your choice." I just didn't like this guy; it's not even that I was pissed at him, just that I got bad vibes off from him.

"Fine! I will get you for this though!" I heard him leave.

"Gonna sleep good tonight!" I said aloud, and I was, knowing that the ass-hole wouldn't.

---

NERV – Morning, Sync Test

"Shinji has a sync ratio of 89, Asuka has 86, Sam has 79, and 'Cass' has a 89," Akagi read aloud. Damn! I'm even with that jerk! I look over at his Eva, quite cool I must admit. It had a camouflage finish with devil red eyes. In fact, it was smaller that my Eva, by thirty feet at least, but in some ways, it looked stonger.

"See Ikari, I CAN beat you. Better watch out," this got me fuming, but I just bit my tongue. It ended soon enough, and we were in the locker room. I decided to be the better man and end this.

"Look, I'm sorry about last night. I was just a little mad. Can we just forget about it?" his look was a little… disturbing.

"So, you're dating the German? Nice huh? Nothing like a good German woman," he said as he finished getting dressed.

"Well, I don't like to think of her that way. I don't see her as a 'German', but as my friend, and I would appreciate it if you wouldn't flirt with her," I was starting to get pissed again.

"A friend? What are you, a pansy? You're dating a nice piece of ass like that and you think of her as a friend? Come on man, don't tell me you haven't thought of it!" Fucking womanizer.

"No, I haven't thought of it per-say," I fail to mention our 'fun times' together, "and yes, I do see her as a close friend."

"No way! I know that voice, it's the same with all men, you already did didn't you!" no, actually.

"NO! I mean… kind of…" Crap! He tricked me!

"Nice! I thought you were a wimp, but I was wrong! Okay, I'll leave her alone, looks like you need it more than me," was it that obvious?

---

Asuka's Room – Afternoon

"Almost done, just let me get the rest of my cloths," I was getting the last of my belongings out of her room.

"Take your time, I like you in here. This might be your last time," she was leaning against a wall.

"Heh, funny," I finished with what I was doing, "remember when you used to hate me? Now you're actually enjoying our time together, kind of odd huh?"

"Oh, shut up!" she came over to me, I thought she was going to hit me, but instead, she sat on the ground behind me and relaxed on my back, "I always liked you around, and I'll miss it."

A/N- Like Cass? Apparently Asuka does, will this cause problems between them? Will the next sin be easy to beat now that there are four pilots? Find out in the next chapter; Incredible, until then keep on keeping on!


	20. Incredible!

Neon Genesis Evangelion - Nothing Will Ever Change This

Disclaimer- I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion or any of the characters. I do, however, own the characters that I introduce into the NGE storyline.

Chapter 20: Incredible!

NERV – Morning

"Sin detected! Get those kids in the Evas now!" Called a NERV staff member. I was already in the control room, talking to Misato. I ran to my entry plug, and got in.

"Shinji! You go up first and hold it off until we get the others up there, we believe that this time we have to deal with Pride! The MAGI says that it has no defense, no attack, and no life what-so-ever, but it is reading it as a sin. Weird…" I get to the surface and see this tall, monster. It stood strait up, like it was at a tuxedo convention, and actually looked very well-kept. It was all white except for the eyes, which were black.

"What am I supposed to do?" I had no idea, do I just wait?

"Just wait," yep, "and if it does make a move, attack." Okay, same plan as always, "Sam is in her Eva, so is Asuka, Cass is still no-where to be found. We're launching Units 02 and 05 now."

"Hey, Shinji, what's up?" Asuka seemed calm.

"Asuka? You okay? You seem… calmer than normal," Oops.

"CALMER! Are you calling me hyper? Plus, this thing is weak, really weak. It'll be a snap!" I didn't get in as much trouble as I thought I would!

"Sin moving!" I look over at it to see it was floating to us, still holding its composure. I simply fire a few rounds at it, expecting a direct hit, but of course, we never get a break. It teleported behind me and just stood there.

"Ah Crap…" I say in an annoyed voice, just then it hit me with it's head – bowing perfectly by doing so – and sent me flying. I hit a near-by mountain and was surprisingly un-hurt. "I'm okay!"

"Sam, now!" I heard Asuka yell. What was she talking about? I saw both of them leap up thousands of feet in the air… and they were gone!

"Sam! Asuka! Where'd you go?" Misato asked, she hated not knowing what was happening. A couple of seconds pass, then I see a bright light where they jumped up. Just then, thousands of rockets, bullets, knives, even empty guns came raining down on top of Pride! Then I see both of there Evas come gracefully back down.

"DAMN! What the hell, Asuka!" Akagi yelled.

"Hey! I did it too! Asuka wasn't the only one up there!" I can't believe what just happened.

"You know how we are rooming together now? Well, we got some battle ideas. You like?" Asuka was really cocky about it. When the dust cleared from the sin, we saw that it was gone!

"YOU'RE KIDDING ME! We did all that for nothing! Where is it?" then a huge crash. "AAAHHH!" Sam yelled.

"Sin is under Sam! He's pulling her under!" it didn't take long. Soon her whole Eva was under ground, only the head showed, as if to humiliate her.

"Ugh! Damnit! What the hell just happened?" Whined Sam, she had good reason to though!

"Unit 06 is coming to meet you!" I then saw a small Eva pop out of the ground.

"You guys need some help?" he then jumps up – not even waiting for a response – and manages to land on top of the sin. His feet are on top of it's shoulders with his hands calmly folded on top of it's head. "Hey there, sexy…" he said before grabbing one of it's arms and throwing it over head. It was sent flying and crashed into a mountain. Without waiting, he runs full speed at the cloud of dust. "Come out, come out where-ever you are!" he found it and tore off an arm, and actually started to slap Pride around with it's own arm! "Stop hitting yourself, stop hitting yourself!" he then grabbed the fist and fidgeted with it for awhile. Eventually, he positioned the fingers to flip-off the sin! Sam broke out laughing. "Oh, come on! Don't kill the bird!" he then used the sharp finger to puncture in to the sins mouth and send blood flying. He then jumped on top of it like last time and gave a wicked smile, "Bye-bye…" he then snapped the sin's neck, Pride just stood there for a minute or two, then collapsed.

"OH MY GOD! What the fuck was that!" Asuka was actually trembling.

"Oh, sorry, did you want to play with it for awhile? I'll let you have the next one, okay princess?" I was too amazed to be pissed that he was flirting again.

---

NERV – After The Battle, Cafeteria

"How… did you do that?" I was just in amazement. Not even on my best day could I do that.

"Oh, I didn't tell you? I have been taking kick-boxing in the army for ten years. That was just basic stuff." BASIC!

"That… was basic? You fricken' annihilated that thing!" He was serious!

"Well… yeah. I did say it was in the army, they trained us for deadly hand-to-hand combat. I lost count, but I think I killed about 4 guys when I was training." FOUR guys!

"Damn… pretty amazing," I just looked like a dork out there!

"Nah, not really. But Asuka and Sam! Now THAT'S amazing," I almost forgot about that.

"She is pretty incredible…" he smiled slightly.

A/N- Do you like the fighting style of Cass? I know I do! How will Shinji handle being out-matched? Will he just brush it off… or make it into something more? Find out in the next chapter; Double Date, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	21. Double Date

Neon Genesis Evangelion - Nothing Will Ever Change This

Disclaimer- I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion or any of the characters. I do, however, own the characters that I introduce into the NGE storyline.

Chapter 21: Double Date

NERV – Cafeteria

"Hey, Asuka, want to go on another date? I saw how much fun you had last time, so I wondered if you want to do it again?" I walked up to a lonely-looking Asuka and popped the question.

"Sure, but I don't really care this time if we go somewhere expensive," thank god! "but I DO want something different." I actually have an idea…

---

Shinji / Cass's Room

"Hey Cass, what's up?" I casually walk up to him while he is playing some video game.

"Nothin'. Just wasting some time. Ya need something?"

"No, I was just wondering… you like Sam?" here it goes!

"Yeah, she's pretty nice. Temper though! I like a girl with some attitude…" not what I meant.

"No, I mean do you LIKE her? You know, like, would you date her? She is pretty cute." I wasn't lying, she was.

"Oh… well… yeah. I can see myself dating her, she doesn't seem interested though. Doesn't matter, why do you ask?"

"You want me to hook you guys up? She… lets just say she'd do anything for me," after what she put me through when she kissed me, she'd better.

"Sure, if you can. How much time should I give you before I ask her out?" that was too easy.

"Five minutes." He turned around quick and stared at me with a confusing look.

---

Asuka / Sam's Room

"Hey Sam, whatcha' doin?" I'm trying to sound as nice as possible.

"Just watching some TV, these Japanese game shows are crazy!" she was as exited as ever.

"Look, I got a question for you, and I'm being serious; do you like Cass as more than a friend?" didn't want to get the wrong response again.

"Well DUH! Look at him! He's cute, nice, polite, and really well-kept. Was it really that obvious?" Uh… no.

"Yeah. You want me to hook you guys up? I think he likes you too, but he wouldn't say anything. Well, you want me to?" this was so easy!

"Sure! I will do anything if you do!" Damn! She really liked this guy.

"I'll be right back…" off to my room.

---

Shinji / Cass's Room

"Go for it, I got everything set up, just ask and she'll melt in your arms." This was working out quite nicely.

"That was fast! Okay, here it goes," he left the room and came back a couple of seconds later, "Hey… look… I've never… uh…" no way! "I've never asked out a girl before… got any tips? How'd you get Asuka?" I admitted I loved her, gave my life to her, gave my life FOR her, and would do anything for her.

"Just ask, don't worry about it. She'll fall for you, I swear."

"Where do I ask her out to?" YES!

"How about this, me and Asuka are going on a date tomorrow, how about we double date?" Come on!

"Sure… thanks… I owe you. How about this, I give you this and it'll count as my pay?" he took out a check-book and scribbled some numbers on it.

"No, it' ok- GOD!" there was enough money here to buy an apartment! "This much!"

"Heh, I'm loaded! German money is worth SO much more than Japanese, so I got plenty of money," Lucky bastard!

"Okay, now go ask!" I pocketed the money and prayed he didn't realize just how much he gave me.

---

5 Minutes Later

Cass came in and plopped down on the bed, "Wow…" he faintly said.

"Wow what? What happened? Did she say yes?" like I already didn't know that. He looked at me and I saw what he meant. "Nice lipstick, Cass." This got a blush from him.

---

The Day After – 1 Hour Away From Date

"Shinji… man… I owe you big time! It was so worth it!" he was talking as he finished getting dressed. He wore an all white tux with a red bow. I was wearing the typical black.

"No problem, anything to keep you away from MY girlfriend," I said it in a joking voice, but I was totally serious. With all the money he gave me, we decided to bring the girls out of town to some 'expensive as shit' place. We did hear that it was good though.

"Uh… hu…" he flatly replied.

"What's up?" I look in the direction that he was staring at. In the doorway were Sam and Asuka leaning against each side of the door. They were… beautiful to say the least. Asuka was wearing a plain black dress that went down to her shins and had a long slit – as always – along the side of it, this time going up to her lower hips. Her leg was up against the doorway to give a little peek. Her hair was up in a Japanese-style bun with a black ribbon in it. Sam was a little less sexy, but still beautiful. She wore a light pink dress with a low-cut V collar. Her hair was down, all the better in my opinion, her hair wouldn't look too good like that.

"Hey, boys," they said in unison.

"Uhhhh…" we both mumbled words, but in a made up language.

"Heh, you like what you see?" Asuka said in a VERY sexy voice.

"I wore a special lipstick that stays on, Cass…" the look on his face was priceless! I wish I had a camera… I do! Asuka's camera from when I was with Sam! There is a God!

"Ready to go?" they once again said in unison.

"S… sure…" I mumbled. I had to regain my composure before I looked like even MORE of an idiot.

---

One Hour Later

"This place is beautiful! How did you afford this place?" Asuka was obviously happy, and so was Sam as she hugged his arm as they walked.

"Yeah, it is. And let's just say I came across some money…" she left it at that and enjoyed the place. We were soon sitting down and looking at the menus. After five minutes a waiter came up.

"What will the young couples have?" all of us blushed.

"Uh… I'll get the prime rib with a side of salad," I ordered.

"Just a steak, medium rare." Cass has finally gotten beck to normal. Bout time, he was starting to embarrass me.

"Lobster claw with a side of soup – broccoli." Sam really didn't care that this was so expensive.

"Same as this dude," she pointed to Cass, "but well done." Asuka sounded really happy.

"Right away. Thank you." With that, he walked off.

"How do you like it? Do you approve?" Cass was back to normal, which meant a pushy jerk.

"GREAT!" they both said in unison. That's kind of getting annoying at this point.

"Good, glad you like it." Not much more was aid after that point until our food came. We ate, talked about random topics and enjoyed each-other's company.

---

NERV – 1:00 AM

We stayed out way later then we were supposed to and ended up tired as hell when we got home.

"Hey Shinji," Cass was whispering to me, "You mind sleeping in Asuka's room. I might need ours for awhile…" This caught my attention.

"Dude! No, you're not going to have your way with Sam, even if she does want it." We can't risk her getting pregnant.

"Don't worry, I won't I just wanted some time to talk with her. I don't know much about her, so wanted to ask her about it." Still doesn't sound like a good idea in my eyes.

"Fine." With that, he led her into our room and I went into Asuka's room.

"I don't even want to know why Cass is going into your room, but I don't mind if you in here." She walked over to me and embraced me in a passionate kiss. "Shinji?" she had something on her mind.

"Yeah?" Something was wrong… I thought.

"What… do you think about se…" That's new. She hasn't wanted to talk about it since that night. I put a finger over her mouth.

"Asuka, you already know me well enough to know what I think. I won't push it if you're not ready. Truthfully, I'm not ready either, I wouldn't want to complicate our relationship." I do love her, but…

"I know that. I was asking if you knew if – when we did – if it would…" I don't want this to go any further.

"Look, Asuka, I do realize that you aren't a virgin. A also know that sex is a very touchy subject with you lately, so I want you to know that I DO love you and I DON'T want you to have another bad experience," this made her break down in tears.

"Shinji… I'm… I'm afraid. I'm afraid of it now…" afraid? "when it happened, I wasn't crying because I was in need of help… I was crying because…" I embrace her in a tight hug.

"Because he hurt you." I hoped it wouldn't come to this.

"Y… yes… I don't know if I'll be able to…" she starts to cry again.

"It's okay, I don't care about any of that. I'm with you because of you, not your body," I picked her up and carried her to the bed, and covered the scared woman up. "You never have to worry about that again, I'm here," she fell asleep soon after.

A/N- I didn't mean for that last part to go as far as it did, but I felt that it was a very emotional scene. Anyway, goes back to speech mode will Asuka ever get over the rape? Will Shinji finally be matched in power? What if Cass reaches 100 sync? Find out in the next chapter; Rei, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	22. Rei

Neon Genesis Evangelion - Nothing Will Ever Change This

Disclaimer- I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion or any of the characters. I do, however, own the characters that I introduce into the NGE storyline.

Chapter 22: Rei

NERV – Same Night

"Shinji, I want you in here please," I heard a voice come over the speaker when I finally got Asuka to stop crying in her sleep. I walked to Akagi's office.

"Yeah?" she had a very serious look on her face.

"You miss Rei, don't you?" this was random, and it brought up memories better left lost.

"Yes, a lot. Why do you ask?" why was she bringing this up?

"Come with me," she led me into a room behind her desk, hidden by a concealed door. She pushed in about twenty numbers on a pad and the door swung open. "Rei was not a naturally born child," she said as we started in the room. "She was born by science, not sperm and egg," okay, I'm lost. We got to another door, this one was a huge metal one that went up to the ceiling, she once again pushed in another twenty or so digits and it swung open.

"Why are you telling me this?" I didn't even want to know.

"Because she's closer to you than you think," a light came on and I saw an enormous glass tube in the center of the room.

"Close?" I'm staring at the non-lit tube, still filled with dark water.

"You fought angels, and you fought her," was she a… no.

"Angels?" she hits a switch and the tube lights up. Inside, there are thousands of Reis. All just floating around in LCL, naked, with a, expressionless face on.

"I felt I had to tell you this because of what I know now. Your mother was absorbed into Unit 01, and your father was to blame. He didn't run the correct tests and he killed her… well… not entirely. I now know for a fact that Yui's soul is inside Unit 01." No…

"But… what do Rei and my mother have in common?" there must be a link.

"We created Rei by using Yui's and Lilith's DNA to form the first child. The Rei you knew was known as Rei II. The original Rei was killed by my mother. Shinji, I'm so sorry I haven't told you, I just had to be sure," I look at her with hateful eyes.

"So… I killed… mother? No, please tell me you're lying… please tell me this is a dream…" I just wanted to run.

"No, you didn't. you killed Rei's body, not soul. I want to give you a choice, we can bring her back, but I could also destroy all of these creatures. It's your choice." I couldn't… choose!

"You…" I told her.

"My choice? Okay…" she reached over and pulled a switch. Suddenly, all of the Reis began to melt. Blood ran through the tank. I run away to Asuka's room. "Wait! Gendo is planning to use you and Asuka to-" I close the door.

---

Asuka's Room

I stand by her bed, silently crying. "Asuka… please… wake up…" she did and looked at me.

"Shinji? What's wrong? Did I upset you? I'm sorry, but I…" I cut her off.

"Rei… I killed her…" she looked at me with a confused face.

"Shinji… I thought you accepted that it wasn't your fault," I did until now.

"Just now… I killed her… thousands of times…" I'm sobbing at this point, I can't take it.

"Did you have a nightmare, Shinji? Come here, I'll…"

"NO! Rei was a clone made from my mother and Lilith, the Rei we loved was Rei II, and there were thousands more… and I killed them all! I killed them all Asuka!" her face was that of horror.

"Shinji… she was your mother? And Lilith?" oh my god!

"Yes… please, Asuka, I need to know something. Are you afraid of me? I've killed Rei many times over, I killed that one guy that shot me, and I almost killed you. I don't see a reason why you wouldn't be terrified of me! Please tell me!" her face was actually a smile.

"All of those times were you protecting me, not hurting me. Come here," I get in the bed and she cradles me, "Now it's my turn to comfort you." I cried myself to sleep.

A/N- A filler chapter, I know. But I just remembered that part from NGE, so I felt I had to put it in. I know that it was short, so don't say anything. One of my worst chapters I think. Sorry, I have no idea what to write as a teaser for the next chapter, so, until the next chapter – One Request, until then, keep on keepin' it real!


	23. One Request

Neon Genesis Evangelion - Nothing Will Ever Change This

Disclaimer- I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion or any of the characters. I do, however, own the characters that I introduce into the NGE storyline.

Chapter 23: One Request

"Shinji? Wake up, you need to get up. Shinji, come on…" I wake up to Asuka nudging me to get up. I was still in the same position as last night.

"I'm up, I'm up. Thank you Asuka for helping me last night. Normally I'm the one that helps you…" she really does help me.

"Anytime. But, you were talking in your sleep, and what does Gendo want us to do?" Gendo? That's right! Akagi said something about Gendo using us… but for what. I'm going to find out right now.

"Come with me, we're not going to be lied to anymore." I took her hand and brought her to his office.

"What is it? I'm busy," that voice, I hate that voice.

"What are you planning on doing with us? And don't lie, Akagi told me that you were using us. For what?" I demanded to know.

" So, she told you? Fine might as well put it out there. I need something from both of you. It won't cost you a dime, just your time." Whatever he was asking of us, it had better be good.

"What is it?" Asuka finally spoke up. She is standing up to Gendo for the first time.

"Our scientists have learned that piloting Eva is genetic. Without a certain blood line, it can't happen, the stronger the gene is, the better the pilot will be." What is he talking about?

"And? What does this have to do with us?" starting to get annoyed, I ask the question.

"What I need is simple. From you, Shinji, I need a sperm sample, and from you Asuka, I need one of your eggs." He's kidding!

"WHAT? No fucking way!" Asuka was seriously pissed.

"What makes you think that we're ready? Both of us are only fifteen!" there was no talking him out of it.

"You won't have to take care of the child, NERV will. Even so, you don't have a say. As your commanding officer, I can order it." He can actually order me to choke the chicken?

"No." we both said in unison. With that, we both start to walk out.

"I know that you're a couple. Why wouldn't you want to bring a child into the world? It's the greatest thing a person can experience." Not right now, it's not! We just left.

---

NERV – Shinji / Cass's Room

"Hey! Get the hell up! Sam, get your clothes on and get into Asuka's room!" I wasn't in the mood to beat around the bush. A couple of minutes later, a tired Sam walks out of the room.

"What are you talking about?" she still had the dress on.

"Sorry. Look, just get into Asuka's room." She did so, hearing the seriousness in my voice.

"Shinji? What the hell!" I walked past him and got the bag of my clothes still on the floor and met Asuka outside.

"You got everything? Good. Let's go." I took her hand and started to walk. She kept silent until we got out of NERV.

"Where will we go?" good question.

"You won't like it, but we will still be able to pilot Eva and not be provoked by the ass-hole. We can go to Misato's." she didn't fight it.

---

Misato's Apartment

"I still have my old key, we can get in." Misato wasn't home, but this was an emergency.

"Shinji! What are you doing! We just can't barge in like this!" yes we can, and we ill. I walk to my old room and see that it hasn't changed a bit. Neither has Asuka's. "Shinji… do you think he was right? I know I didn't, but I want to know your opinion."

"My opinion? My opinion is that he is a deceptive, manipulative, controlling ass-hole! That's my fucking opinion!" her face… "Sorry Asuka, he just made me so mad back there. How can he expect us to do that?"

"Shinji…"

---

Misato's Apartment – Night

"Pen-Pen! I'm home!" Misato said as she barged in.

"Hi Misato," we both said. She jumped out of her skin when she saw us. Her face was that of pure horror.

"But… you two… were supposed to be dead…" dead? What?

"Misato? What do you mean?" she walked off and went to her room. She comes out with a gun, 9mm, and points it at us.

"Come with me, now." What was she doing? She led us to her car and told us to get in. "Duties before friends." Was al she said on the way to God knows where.

---

NERV

"So, here they are," We were both strapped to a couple of chairs. "the little trouble-makers. You'd be dead right now if it wasn't for Misato."

"Did you order us to be killed? You sick bastard!" Asuka was almost crying she was so mad.

"You'll thank me later. Okay, they are ready," ready? I feel a sharp pain in my neck, and then I black out.

"SHINJI!" Asuka wakes me up; I look at my watch, its 4:00.

"Uhhh… what happened?" we were in a hospital bed.

"That fucker got what he wanted! Congratulations Shinji, you are now a fucking father!" He what? No!

A/N- Wow, even I didn't expect that, I just wrote as I went and it turned into that! What will this new child be like? How will the new parents handle it? Find out in the next chapter; My Baby, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	24. My Baby

Neon Genesis Evangelion - Nothing Will Ever Change This

Disclaimer- I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion or any of the characters. I do, however, own the characters that I introduce into the NGE storyline.

Chapter 24: My Baby

NERV

"Where is it!" I was storming through NERV, looking for the 'baby'.

"Shinji, over here!" I heard Sam call me over. I go over to a room in a secluded hallway.

"What is it Sam, I'm not in the mood right now for this." And I wasn't. I was ready to kill anyone that got in my way.

"Follow me, I know what you're looking for and where to find it." How did she know? I just followed her. She eventually led me into a lab with test tubes, beakers, flasks and every other piece of equipment you could think of.

"Right here, there it is." I look into a large glass tube full of LCL with what looked like a fetes in it. There was our baby, but how was it so big already?

"What have they done?" I said as I walked up to it. I could literally see it GROWING.

"You like it? Years of research have gone into this. We injected an experimental drug. It acts as a twenty-fourth chromosome, which speeds up the growth rate by 400. When it reaches maturity, we'll destroy the drug and let it pilot." That voice.

"You're playing God! You just can't do that!" I have never been so mad.

"Look at it Shinji. It's yours. Isn't it beautiful?" I look over at it. I has grown at least a fourth of its size since I came in. Its eyes were visible now. Red hair started to sprout on its head. The eyes were blue, just like its mother.

"No, no it's not. It's disgusting." Don't look at it. I tell myself as I reach for a hammer near-by.

"You can't do it. You don't have the balls. That thing is your baby, you can't just kill it." Don't look at it.

"Like hell I can't!" I swing at the tube, sending LCL splashing everywhere. The thing falls to the floor, still alive and moving, as if trying to get away. "I'm sorry…" with that I swing the hammer one more time and end it.

---

Tokyo-3 Streets

"Shinji… are you okay?" I felt horrible.

"No. No, I'm not, Asuka. I just killed a baby, our baby at that! I saw it squirming; I saw it begging for its life, I saw you in it. Your eyes, your hair, your essence. I killed it Asuka… I'm so sorry…" I hug her, crying into her shoulder as she cradled me.

"It's not your fault. Gendo was the one that decided to play god, not you," the words were comforting. "Now the question is where are we going to stay?" I had no idea. Misato was our last hope, and she turned us in.

"How about Toji's? I know he would let us stay." I recommended.

"If you think he will… sure."

---

Toji's Place

"What? You want to stay here? Why can't you stay at Misato's or at NERV?" because we had a kid, but I wasn't going to tell him that.

"Yeah, please? I can't tell you why, but we can't stay anywhere else, you're our last resort. We'll pay rent if you want," I know that he had an extra room, I've been in it.

"Sure, whatever. Is that everything you've got? Yeah? Well, come on in. I'll take you to the room," that was pretty easy. He led us into the room and took our bags, "Sorry, I only one bed, but I do have a sleeping bag… unless you don't need it…" he said with a grin. Asuka was turning red she was so mad.

"You have ten seconds… nine… eight…" Toji ran off to his room.

"I can't believe that it was so easy, I guess he is a good friend," Asuka thought him as a friend?

"Yeah… but what if he catches wind of what happened?" he would probably kick us out.

"How would he know? Even if he did, I don't think he would do anything," I sure hope so. Toji came out of his room just then.

"Hey Shinji, you don't have to pay rent, but I do want something in return for you living here," he had that smile he always had when he was about to do something stupid, "One, I want you to cook. And two, try not to be too loud at night!" Asuka charged after him and got him in a headlock. "Hey, I'm fine with this…" His face was right next to her right breast.

"PERVERT!" Asuka was the one that grabbed him!

"So, we have a deal Shinji? You cook and I let you stay here?" that seemed like an unfair trade, but I was okay with it.

"Sure, no problem."

"Good, hope you like your new home!" he held out his arms and greeted us.

---

Toji's Place – That Night

"Here you go, I made some hamburgers. Hope their okay," I handed Asuka and Toji a plate.

"Anything is better than instant every night!" he pointed to a cupboard full to the rim with ramen noodles… ew.

"Glad you are okay with it, now… I also made some…" an alarm goes blazing.

"See ya…" he said as we both ran off.

A/N- Living at Toji's now, huh? Hope you like the change, I just felt the whole NERV thing was getting old. So, will Toji fond out about the child? Will the new sin be too much for them? What sin will it be? Find out in the next chapter; Switcheroo, until then keep on keepin' on!


	25. Switcheroo

Neon Genesis Evangelion - Nothing Will Ever Change This

Disclaimer- I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion or any of the characters. I do, however, own the characters that I introduce into the NGE storyline.

Chapter 25: Switcheroo

"Where are they! Forget it, I'm sending up Sam and Cass," Akagi pushed a button and sent the Evas launching to the surface. "Cass, Sam, we have labeled the sin as Envy, unfortunately, we have no idea what it can do…"

"Of course not, I'll just beat the crap out of it like last time. No problem." Cass was right, he didn't know what the last one could do, and he beat it easily.

"Be careful… oh! Here they are! I'm sending up Shinji and Asuka now." A few minutes pass and we were on the surface. I saw the small Eva kneeling on one knee on the floor with the orange standing next to it.

"Man, these sins are real cowards, huh? None of them have ever just showed up." Cass was right… again?

"Envy has been found! Cass, it's behind you!" He jumped up and mule-kicked behind him, and sent the creature flying.

"Damn, that was fast!" I looked over at the stunned sin. It was quite… disturbing. Every part of it's body looked like it came from a different creature. Even it's ears were different, nothing matched, some of it's parts – like a couple inches of it's knee and torso – were just raw muscle. No skin, just blood and raw muscle.

"That's repulsive!" Misato was over the comm. and stating the obvious. It got up and looked at Asuka.

"Mmmm!" it moaned. Then a huge beam of light shot from its yellow and green eyes.

"Aw crap!" Asuka got shot and fell back.

"I'll end this! Come here ya little fucker!" I charged at it with my progressive knife drawn. I take a swing at its lower abdomen and cut a long, deep slice. It looked like a few innards fell out, but I could tell it had MANY more counting on its ranging size. I take the knife and slit its throat, letting it suffer as it died.

"Thanks, Shinji. That fucking hurted!" hurted? She was a collage graduate and she said hurted?

"Uh… yeah… sure," we went back to the launch pads, got changed and left to Toji's.

---

Toji's Place – Night, About 1:45 AM

"Asuka! What is your problem?" I had to carry her al the way home; she was walking like Misato after ten beers.

"Noething," and what was with this new accent? "I just got hurted from the attack."

"Here, let's go to bed, I'll tuck you in," expecting a yell or a hit, I got a thank you.

"Sure, tanks," Okay, that was starting to get annoying. I brought her to the room and covered her up with the unfamiliar sheets.

---

Morning

"I'm hungary, can you make something?" I woke up to Asuka hovering over my sleeping bag – yes, Toji got me one – and got up to feed her and fulfill my deal with Toji.

"Sure, you know I have to," I moaned as I wipe the sleep out of my eyes, "hold on, I'll just get… Asuka! It's five in the morning! We don't have school, remember? It starts in three weeks!" what the hell was her problem? I was actually getting annoyed with HER.

"Oh… and?" AND!

"Asuka, can you wait, like, two hours? It's too early…" she still stared at me with a confused look.

"Okay," she crawled back into bed and went to sleep.

"Damn…" I mutter as I drift back to sleep.

---

Morning – 8:30

"Shinji! Wake up, remember your deal!" I woke up to Toji yelling across the house.

"Okay, I'll go make it right now!" I look up to see Asuka hovering above the bag… again. "I'm making the food right now…" she walked off into the kitchen. "What the hell, man?" I say to myself. I walk out into the kitchen to see her sitting down at the wood table. I start to make some bacon and eggs while she just sat there.

"Hey Asuka, are you feeling alright? You seem very… odd," she walks up to me, "Is all of this too stressful fo… Agh! What the HELL?" I look at my forearm to see a serrated cooking knife sticking out of it. "Asuka! Fuck!" it hurt like a bitch! She lunged her hands at my throat and tightened her grip.

"DIE!" She was trying to kill me! What has happened to her! Her thumbs dig into my neck; I can't even breath out, her grip was too tight. I start to struggle and knock over the skillet full of grease. It splattered all over my feet, increasing my world of pain.

"Whoa! Asuka!" Toji runs out into the kitchen and grabs her from behind. He manages to get her off of me, and struggles to get her to the floor. "Calm down!" he grabbed both of her hands and kept her in place on the ground. "Shinji! What did you do to her!" did I do something?

"Nothing! I don't know what happened!"

"Get me my belt, it's under my bed, hurry!" I run and manage to find the black belt under a foot of crap. "Good, now tie her hands together, now! Now is NOT the time to argue Shinji!" Not wanting to, I force myself to look away as I tie her up. He lets go of her and she just struggles to get up, even though she wasn't going to be able too.

"Do you mind why the hell you have a knife in your arm?" I look at it and painfully pull it out, splashing blood on the counter.

"She just… attacked me, I don't know why," I cover up my wound with the dish towel, trying to stop the bleeding. I look at her and see her face has changed somehow. I can't put a finger on it, but it was… hateful.

"Shinji… look…" he points to her wrists, now flexing trying to pull the belt off. There was obviously now way she was going to be able to do it. Then, the belt started to stretch, and rip a little. "Shinji! Hold her legs down!" he sits on her back to restrain her, while I grab both of her ankles. The belt rips – the LEATHER belt rips – and she starts to struggle.

"Ah! Crap!" I got kicked in my crotch! She got loose and went for the still bloody knife. She is now staring at both of us, only feet away. "Toji, look…" her eyes have changed. One is green, and one is yellow. "It's Envy! The sin is still alive!"

A/N- I bet you all saw that coming a mile away. Whatever, I just hope you like it. What will the boys do to beat it? What CAN the boys do? Find out in the next chapter; My Body, until then keep on keepin' on!


	26. My Body!

Neon Genesis Evangelion - Nothing Will Ever Change This

Disclaimer- I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion or any of the characters. I do, however, own the characters that I introduce into the NGE storyline.

Chapter 26: My Body!

"Asuka! Stop it! Ah shit!" I try to stop her as she swings the knife, cutting my palm wide open. Blood drops and stains the blue carpet.

"Shinji! Get away from her, she'll kill you!" I needed to help her, Envy took her over, and I had to get it out. The eyes were scary, more than anything else. I stop walking to her and just stare at her.

"Didn't think you could be controlled so easily, Asuka," might as well try this, I can't do anything else after all.

"Stupid little boy… you should hear what she thinks of you," surprisingly, Envy speaks up, "damn! What did you do to her? Why does she hate you so much?" hate?

"You're lying."

"You want to know what she's thinking? She thinks that you lied, that you CAN'T protect her. She thinks you're a wimp. You think she loves you? She doesn't even like you! She hates your guts! On more than one occasion, you've led her into a dangerous situation, how can you think she loves you? She only keeps you around for someone to lean on when things go bad! You're pathetic!" But…

"Now I know you're lying. I've seen them together, that IS love, no matter what she may act like, around Shinji she shows her true side, her compassionate side," Toji was sticking up for her?

"Oh, come on! You've fallen into this too? You were the cute one Toji… to bad you're an idiot," cute? Just then Envy fell to its knees and held its head, "GET… OUT!"

"I knew it…" I knew she would fight back.

"Get… out… of… me…" Asuka was thrashing around the living room, "Just give up! I've moved in for good, I actually like this body… Agh!" one yellow eye went away, one green still remained. "Too easy…" Asuka stood up and looked at me. The green eye faded to blue. She was drenched in sweat, and had a couple of bruises from running into things.

"Shinji! Are you okay? Here, let me see…" she took my hand and looked at the pool of blood slowly forming in my palm. She reached over her elbow and tore off a piece of cloth. I squinted when she tied it around my hand. "there, that should help."

"Thanks." The bleeding did stop soon.

"Shinji! Man, this is new carpet!" Asuka walked over to Toji.

"Ten… nine… you know what? One." She leaped to him and kicked him in the crotch. He fell to his knees in pain. "Are the carpets new now?" he shakes his head. "That's what I thought. Now, we need to get Shinji to a hospital."

---

NERV Hospital

"Why the HELL did we come here!" Asuka was pissed at the fact that we went to the NERV hospital instead of a normal one.

"Because I needed some attention now, not in an hour. You saw the line at the hospital, we couldn't go there." My hand was starting to go numb, so I knew I needed help right away.

"They just better not try what they did last time…" I look at her with a serious look.

"I doubt they will, seeing as how I acted last time," just then, Gendo walked in. he grabbed my hand, tore off the cloth – along with some skin – and looked at it, then my arm.

"Get a nurse in here, Shinji needs stitches." He said in his normal voice. A nurse came in and began to prepare a shot of something. "No, he won't need it. Just go along with the procedure."

"But sir, I don't think that…" he cut her off.

"I said, he doesn't need it. If he can take the pain of killing a child, then he can handle this." I should've known. The nurse came to me with a curved needle and some black wire.

"Sorry…" she muttered as she began to sew my skin. With each threading, my jaw clenched a little harder. When my hand was done, she made her way up to my arm. That was so much worse, I still had all of my feeling in my arm. I yelped a little with every couple threads. After about ten minutes of this torture, she was done.

"Thank… God…" I said between breaths, I was panting in pain.

"Shinji, I am offering your rooms back here at NERV. This is a one-time only offer, so if you decline, you will not get another chance. Will you move back in?" I didn't want to, but it was taking me and Asuka too long to get here during sin attacks. I had to protect the ones I care about.

"Yes… I will… so will… Asuka…" I can't catch my breathe. Asuka was dumb-struck. He then left the room.

"Shinji, why?" she asked in disappointment.

"Because I need to be closer to EVA."

---

Toji's Place

"You're leaving? Man, I was getting used to your cooking!" I didn't say anything, I just pick up my bags and left, so did Asuka.

A/N- Man! I did not want to go back to NERV, but for later chapters I had to. You'll know why later. Will Shinji get back at his father? How will they adapt to their own homes? Find out in the next chapter; Back To School, (wonder what it'll be about) until then, keep on keepin' it on!


	27. Back To School

Neon Genesis Evangelion - Nothing Will Ever Change This

Disclaimer- I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion or any of the characters. I do, however, own the characters that I introduce into the NGE storyline.

Chapter 27: Back To School

Asuka / Shinji's Room

"First day of high school! You ready Shinji?" Asuka called out to me.

"As ready as I'll ever be," I was in the shower. I was just finishing washing, and I was looking at my scars. The one on my chest, bullet, saving Asuka. The one on my arm and palm, knife, caused by a sin in Asuka, saving her again. "Permanent signs."

"What was that?" I thought out loud again.

"Nothing, just talking to myself. You almost ready?" like I was, I still had to get dressed.

"I've been ready, I'm just waiting for you!" Oops.

"Sorry, I'll hurry," I got out of the shower and began to get dressed. Lately, we have gotten more comfortable with each other so we didn't mind getting dressed in the same room. Not to say that we didn't steal a few glances here and there, but we were not really affected by it. I got dressed and opened the door for her. "After you,"

"Thanks, but you don't have to act so formal."

---

School

"Can I see your classes?" I wanted to compare mine with hers. I quickly glanced at both of them.

A/N- to make this easier for everyone, I'll actually make the schedules in list form.

Shinji-

German- First

P.E.- Second

History- Third

Lunch Period

Algebra- Fourth

Science- Fifth

Geography- Sixth

Asuka-

German- First

Science- Second

P.E.- Third

Lunch Period

History- Fourth

Physiology- Fifth

Algerbra- Sixth

"Shinji? Why do you have German class?" I was caught… if I let myself.

"Must be a mistake… I took… uh… choir?" I suck at lying… really, really badly. Fricken' choir! She knows I play the cello!

"Uh-huh, right, choir. So, you want to learn German, eh? Well, you could have just asked… _dummkopf_… I would have helped you!" soon, I'll know what she is calling me…

"I know, but I wanted to learn it on my own." A bell rings, and we walk to German class.

---

German

"Hello, I'm Mrs… actually, just call me _Hure_, because that's what you'll be calling me soon enough," Asuka broke out laughing.

"_HURE!_ We call you_ Hure_? Are you serious? HA!" the teacher got up in her face.

"And how, young lady, do you know hat that means?"

"Let's see; red hair, pale skin, tall, and big breasts… hmm, maybe I'm GERMAN!" She busted out laughing again.

"So, you thought that it would be an easy class, huh? You thought that just because you can speak the language means you can pass? Was that it? Good luck!" with that, she walked off.

"_Scheise, hure, dummkopf._" Asuka said as a last word and the teacher swung around and began to yell at her in German, Asuka shot back, doing the same thing, and it ended with both of them yelling at the same time, "_HURE!_" this was going to be a long day.

A/N- Translations are; _scheise _Shit-head _hure_Bitch _dummkopf_Simpleton

---

P.E.

"Okay shit-heads, run, now!" our new P.E. teacher was a jackass! He was the typical coach, white football t-shirt, and shorts with a whistle around his neck. "What the fuck are you looking at! RUN! NOW!" Ah, crap. I don't know anyone in this class AND our teacher is an ass. Just… great…

---

History

"Hey, Sam! Why are you in here? This is a tenth grade class. The only reason I'm in here is because I got high test scores, but…" she cut me off.

"_Hey, asshole! You calling me stupid?_" What? "Hi Shinji! How ya doing? I'm in here for the same reason, just so you know."

"Cool, glad I have a couple of classes with friends. Have you seen the teacher?" he was a large, Italian man with a strong accent. Half of his face was paralyzed due to a stroke, but he still managed to laugh often, not letting it get him down. He was pretty dressed up, a white short-sleeved button-up shirt with a tie and dress pants. Looked like he took pride in teaching.

"Yeah, he's really nice, the first teacher I actually liked today!" funny.

"Me too, Asuka got into a fight with the German teacher, and my P.E. teacher is an ass."

"What happened between Asuka and the teacher?" Uhhhhh…

"Hell if I know, they yelled at each other in German, so I have no idea what was said."

"Class will now start, please take your seat, thank you." I like this guy!

---

Lunch

"Ugh! I hate all of my teachers! High school really sucks!" Asuka was having a bad day, apparently, she science teacher was a Mr. Salas, he was from America and her P.E. teacher was the same as mine.

"They'll lighten up eventually, don't worry about it." I sat down with her and ate the lunch that looked like it was crawling away.

"Better, or we will have some serious problems!" she was really hating this, "And what the hell is this! Is this supposed to be food? No way!"

---

Algebra

Once again alone in a class full of strangers. I see a fairly large man with a goatee walk to the front of the class.

"Hello," he said in a slightly welcoming voice, "I'm Mr. Kawae, it's nice to meet all of you." He was also fairly dressed up, like my history teacher. This class might actually be a bearable one.

"Hello" we all say in unison.

"I'm passing out a sample quiz to see what you kids can do. It's not for a grade, I just want to plan around your scores, so please do your best." The test took all period, and unfortunately, I set the curve. I got every question right while everyone else got a C.

---

Science

"Hey Cass, I didn't know that you were in this class!" I go to greet him.

"Hey man, sup'? Wait… how are you in this class? Aren't you in ninth grade?" he was in his normal army outfit.

"Well, yeah but I'm able to take two tenth grade classes because of my test scores, I chose Science and History."

"Cool, I have history with you too. By the way, have you seen the teacher? No? Well, she's Indian.

A/N- Indian as in from India, not America.

"Really? That's unique, don't see many of them around here." This room was huge! It had about forty desks – all made of stone as to not catch fire – and was about 90 x 75 feet! I found my seat when class started and listened to the normal beginning of year speech.

---

Geography

"YES! End of the day!" Sam was sitting at a desk near the front and celebrating the nearing of the last bell.

"Hey Sam, nice to see I've got a friend in here." I walk up next to her and sit down next to her.

"Hey, Shinji." She replies blandly. What just happened?

"Hey, what happened to 'end of the day'?"

"Oh, no reason, sorry."

"Excuse me, but class has started!" I look up at the woman that stood before me. She was a short, long haired woman with casual clothes on. "Stop talking and pay attention!"

"Y… yes ma'am!" we both say. CRAP! Another mean teacher! What's up with all of these ass-holes?

---

After School

"Hey Asuka, how was your day?" like I already didn't know the answer.

"How was my day? Crappy! I don't have one good teacher! This year is going to suck! Shinji, there has to be a way to fix this, a schedule change, a school change, anything! Please!" I did have an idea.

"There always is Gendo. He could change it; you'd just have to ask him." She was going to say no, I just knew it.

"FINE! Anything, as long as I get out of these classes!" she was willing to ask him you learn something new every day.

A/N- School sucks huh? Well, as a side note, I designed all of the teachers in this chapter from my teachers as of this year and last. Excluding German So, will Asuka get what she wants? Find out in the next chapter; Cass's Screw Up, until then keep on keepin' on!


	28. Cass's Screw Up

Neon Genesis Evangelion - Nothing Will Ever Change This

Disclaimer- I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion or any of the characters. I do, however, own the characters that I introduce into the NGE storyline.

Chapter 28: Cass's Screw Up

NERV – Asuka / Shinji's Room

"Shinji, have you seen Cass?" we were just watching some TV after school and Cass still hasn't come home yet.

"No, he's probably just out with Sam somewhere, why?"

"He's not out with Sam, that's what is concerning me. She's in her room," where exactly WAS he then?

"Just wait, he'll come back eventually," For some reason, Asuka actually looked concerned.

---

Same Place – 3 Hours Later

"Okay, now I'm getting worried," this wasn't like him; he would normally call me when he was up to something. Then Sam came barging in with a panicked look on her face.

"Shinji, can you help me look for him? I'm really want to know what happened," she stood there with her puppy-dog eyes bagging for my help.

"Sure, I'd love to. Any idea where he might be?" she nodded her head and started to walk away, she motioned me come with her, so I followed.

"Hey! You don't want my help? What, am I not good enough to look for the loser!" Asuka was starting to follow us, when I turned around and nodded. She understood the meaning, and sat back down to watch TV. Sam and I got out of NERV and headed for school, thinking he might be there. The walk was very silent, not a word was said, until we got to the back of the school that is…

"Cass! Why the hell haven't yo… what the hell is this!" Cass was kissing some other girl from history I met. She was known for being 'open' to anything.

"Sam! I… wait!" she started to walk off and he chased after her, leaving the other girl behind. I followed them, just to make sure that Sam didn't kill him! He kept his distance from her until he summed up the courage to go up to her. "Sam, look, I…" she turned around and slapped him HARD. I could hear the contact of skin from all the way back here – about twenty yards.

"Who that hell was that! You were the one that asked ME out, and you pull this? You're seriously messed up, you know that!" I've never seen her so angry before, she was actually turning red.

"Sam, I'm sorry. I don't know what I was doing, she just came up to me, and we started to talk, and… well… I'm so sorry," was he really using that as an excuse? Even though his normally straight face was dropping, I doubt that Sam would take that as an answer.

"You're kidding me! So talking led to making out! Come on! You're such an idiot!" she started to walk off towards NERV and once again he followed her, and I followed him. Eventually, I made my way up to him.

"Dude, what the hell were you doing? She was crazy for you and you betray her like this?" I started with the basic inquiry; you're an idiot.

"I don't know, okay? I don't know what I was doing!" his face was back to being hard as rock.

"Well, you'd better fix it," I can see Asuka's face now, "Look, unless you want an organ re-arrangement, you better find a way to make this better."

"How, Shinji? I want to, I really do, but I don't know how," well neither did I, he's in pretty deep!

"Look, tonight, sit her down and talk. Let her say anything she wants, just take it, and when you get the opportunity, try – yes, TRY – to explain what happened to her. With some luck, she might forgive you," I doubt it though.

"I'll try and pray it works. Thanks Shinji." We just walked back to NERV and let them be.

---

Shinji / Asuka's Room

"He did WHAT! I'm going to kick his ass!" I just got telling Asuka what he did, a mistake I might add.

"Whoa, Asuka let them be. He is trying to explain himself right now," sure didn't sound like it. It sounded like she was just yelling at him, but I couldn't make out words.

"Fine! But the second he gets out of the room, he's mine!" he was so screwed! Both of the most short-tempered women in the country were after him!

"Okay," I just set him up for yet another beating… oops. I hear the door open and see Cass walk in.

"You little bastard!" Asuka gets up and runs towards him, but I grab her wrist and hold her back. "Shinji, let me go!"

"Cass, I recommend you leave now!" he just stood there with his normal face on. "Okay, it's your funeral," I let go of her and she lunges at him in blind fury. He simply side-steps and she trips to the floor.

"I told you I took fighting classes. Anyway," while he talks he is effortlessly dodging punches, "she forgave me… but I have to wear this," he lifts up his pant leg to reveal an ankle bracelet. This made Asuka stop and stare at him.

"You… have to wear an ankle bracelet? I don't get it," it looked just like a normal, silver chain bracelet.

"You know how released convicts wear those clunky ankle bracelets? Same idea," I had to hold back from laughing.

"I don't even want to know how she has that, but it if it gets you two back together…" How exactly did she have that?

"Lucky bastard! She went easy on you compared what I would do!" I know that first hand! Asuka was right though.

"I'm just glad I was able to convince her forgive me. I would have understood if she did dump me," Sam was going to have him on a leash from now on, twenty-four-seven.

A/N- Cass is one lucky SOB! Well, what will Sam do now? Will she trust him – doubtful – or follow him everywhere? What will the next sin be? Find out in the next chapter; Hungry, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	29. Hungry

Neon Genesis Evangelion - Nothing Will Ever Change This

Disclaimer- I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion or any of the characters. I do, however, own the characters that I introduce into the NGE storyline.

Chapter 29: Hungry

Arcade – 3:00

"Great idea coming here, Shinji. This is exactly what I needed!" we were all at the arcade after school. Asuka was upset because Gendo refused to transfer her classes, so I brought all of us here.

"Good, now lets play some games!" as a joke, I guided her to the DDR pads. I knew that we had to use these to train to get in sync, so I knew we would be evenly matched. As Cass and Sam watched, we started the game. She chose a steady rock song, and we started. It was a pretty long song, so it got tiring. When it was over, Sam and Cass knew that we got high scores; Cass said it looked like a mirror the way we moved. The scores popped up on screen; Asuka: 10,000 Shinji: 10,000. Saw that coming.

"Okay, now that the couple is done showing off, it's my turn! Come on, we can be on teams for this one; me and Sam against you and Asuka." He pointed to the laser-tag room. It was a huge maze designed for hunting and being hunted. Much of it was lit by a black light, and the walls were lined with stickers that shown in the light.

"Want to make this a little interesting? If me and Asuka win, you have to pay up ten dollars. Same with me. Deal?" he nodded and smiled.

"Hello! I was in training for ten years! I'll win easily!" Crap! I forgot! We're so screwed. We got in line and waited for our turn. When we got to the front of the line, Cass and Sam put on the yellow suits and got the yellow guns. Asuka chose the red ones, so I did too.

"Both teams, please chose a location to start!" a voice rang through the room. We did so, and music came on. It was a song called 'Headstrong' by 'Trapt', pretty cool, really got the blood pumping!

A/N- I do not own the song Headstrong or Trapt. I hate disclaimers.

"Beguin!" Asuka ran off to the left, and I went to the right. Almost immediately, I came to a dead end. There was a broken mirror on the floor. 'Bet I could use this' I thought. I picked up a medium sized piece and went on my way. I went back and turned a corner to find Sam looking very nervous. I quickly go back around the corner and wait.

"Hey Sam!" I yell she comes running to me and fires. I bring up the mirror and reflect it back at her. Lights on her suit flash.

"Ah crap!" she yells in frustration. One down!

"See ya!" I say as I walk off. Looking for Cass, I hear a scream of frustration. Asuka was out. Great, now it's just me and him. I turn a corner and see nothing.

"Hey Shinji," I hear a voice but I can't see anything. I look up to see him standing on one of the walls. I run as fast as I can and lose him. I find a small hole and get in it. "I'll find you eventually!" I hear him yell right next to me. He hasn't noticed me yet, thank god for black lights!

"Found," I say as I jump up and pull the trigger to my gun.

---

Outside Of Arcade

"Eight, nine, ten. You win, nice one Shinji." He counted off my ten and congratulated me. Just then, a loud alarm blares.

"Damnit! I was just starting to have fun!" Asuka complained.

---

NERV

"Unit 01, launch! Unit 02, launch! Unit 05, launch! Unit 06, launch!" Akagi called off as we jettisoned to the surface.

"Gross! What is that?" Sam was looking at a large, yellow slug slowly making its way across the city. It would go over buildings, and they would disappear.

"No idea! The MAGI doesn't know either. Just fire a few rounds and see what happens." We did so and the bullets just got caught in the flesh, eventually sinking into it.

"What the hell? How will we kill it if we can't shoot it?" Asuka was right, how will we kill it? If guns don't work, I doubt knifes will. It lifted up its head and looked at Sam with its huge stalk-eyes. It then spit a large glob of green liquid at her. This stuff now covered her whole lower body.

"Oh, that's just great. A sin that hacks spit wads," just a few seconds later, she began to scream. Smoke was rising from the liquid. Sam fell backwards and soon, just her upper body remained. "AAAHHH!" her scream echoed through all of our com links. Blood was running through the open hole that was her hips.

"You son of a bitch!" Cass charged at the blob and drew his blade. He jumped high in the air and landed on top of it. "AH! Crap!" smoke started to emit from his feet. "I can't even touch it? Fine!" he leaped off and on his way down, he sliced down the creature's head. A green liquid leaked from the cut.

"The MAGI has confirmed that it is a sin, Gluttony!" Dumb asses.

"Gee, do ya think?" Asuka was trying to be funny.

"I don't care what it is, its going to DIE!" he grabbed one of the eye-stalks and ripped it of. The creature howled in pain. Cass did the same to the other eye. "Let's see you fight now!" it actually did. The slug leaped high in the air and landed on the still screaming Sam. The whole Eva was now under Gluttony. We couldn't hear her anymore.

"SAM! Get off of her!" Asuka ran over to it – as did I – and sliced at it with her progressive knife with the skill of a flyswatter. She landed a few hits, but it didn't move.

"Ah, screw it!" I was ready for the pain as I grabbed a hold of it and lifted it up. "CRAP!" my hands were burning with pain. When I finally got a good hold on it, I threw it over head to a mountain. The hands on my Eva were bare, free from armor and bleeding profusely.

"Sam? SAM!" I heard Cass yell as I look down to see nothing but a few orange spots where her Eva used to be. Cass charged at the sin and began to rip it apart. Chunks of meat flew everywhere. Soon, nothing was left of it. His Eva fell to the ground either in physical or mental pain. A slight whimpering could be heard over the com.

---

Sam / Cass's Room

"Cass… I'm so sorry…" I was next to him as tears ran down his face. He was laying on his back on Sam's bed. The expression on his face was normal, aside from a steady line of tears running down his cheeks.

"Whatever, I'm used to death," He was lying. Trying to hide his shame, he rolled to his side facing the wall, "and death is expected in these situations. It doesn't affect me."

A/N- Sorry, no comment for this chapter. All I can say is that Cass was obviously hurting, but wasn't showing it. How will this loss affect the pilots? How will it affect Cass? Find out in the next chapter; Grave, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	30. Grave

Neon Genesis Evangelion - Nothing Will Ever Change This

Disclaimer- I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion or any of the characters. I do, however, own the characters that I introduce into the NGE storyline.

Chapter 30: Grave

A/N- I will be writing in omnipresent view for this chapter. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Cass's Room

A young man wakes up in the morning, feeling almost suicidal. He slugs out of bed, and dresses in an unusual outfit. Instead of the normal camouflage and boots, the young man wore a black hooded sweater with jeans and sneakers. With his hair undone, he leaves the room and heads for the cafeteria.

"What would you like today, Cass?" a friendly voice talks to him, but he just points to the hotdog and says nothing as he went on his way.

"Cass, come on, you did everything you could," Shinji's was trying to make him feel better – in vein.

"Everything? I let her die," he shot back at the fellow pilot, "she was screaming for my help, and I let her down. Just leave, I don't need your sympathy." And so Ikari did.

"Cass, here. Just go to this address." Akagi walked up to him and handed him a piece of paper with number scribbled on it.

"Whatever." Was his reply. When he finished his food, Cass walked out of NERV and headed to the random place.

---

30 Minutes Later

"Real fucking funny Akagi." He stood in front of a cemetery, ground littered with tomb stones. He absent-mindedly walked in and saw a stone that caught his eye. It was right in the front, and was in the shape of a graceful cross.

_Here Lies Samantha Simmons_

_Pilot, Friend, And Savior_

_May Her Soul Rest In Peace_

This sight brought a tear to the young man's eye. Apparently, NERV purchased a grave to honor her, even if they did not find a body.

"You like it?" a woman was behind him. He turned to see Misato standing, looking at the grave. "Gendo had this arranged personally. He went out of his way to do it."

"Huh," was the young man's reply. He wiped the tear from his cheek and turned back around to stare at the empty grave. "Tell him I said thanks." Misato walked off, leaving the pilot to mourn.

---

Asuka / Shinji's Room

"I'm worried about Cass. He hasn't been right since yesterday," Shinji's voice rang through the room.

"Well how would you act if you lost me? Are you saying that you would be all happy and cheery? It's the same thing, Shinji. I doubt he will get over it. He feels that it was his fault," the last female pilot was being deep for once.

"I know, but I'm afraid he might do something he will regret. We have to do something,"

"Just leave em'. He will find a way to deal with it." The conversation died right there.

---

Gendo's Office

"We're going to need another pilot," the man's deep voice was plain and hurtful, "Don't we have one in Russia ready to pilot?"

"Yes, but he's only been training for a month, and his sync is only 13, he can't even move the Eva," Misato was standing as straight as possible in front of Gendo's desk.

"Recruit him. I want the boy here within the week. Make sure of it," Misato saluted and walked off to fill out the paper-work.

---

Misato's Apartment

"Sam, sorry we're replacing you so soon," Misato talked to herself. It was getting late – about 1:00 AM – and she was signing the last of the papers. "I just know Cass is going to be pissed, but we need another pilot. Shinji and Asuka won't be too happy either." With her signature on the last paper, she stacked them and made them neat on her desk. "Say hello to your new co-pilot."

---

Sam's Grave

A young man was still at the girl's grave, and still crying. At this point, he has lain down on the spot that the casket would be and he is slowly drifting to sleep.

"Sam…" he mutters before he drifts asleep.

"Cass, come on, you need to get home," Asuka's voice woke him up. She had her hand out offering it to him. he just laid back down and ignored her. "She won't be coming back just because you're sulking. You might as well get over it. Sam's dead and WILL be dead forever. If you can't come to this conclusion on your own, you're going to live a really pathetic life." Cass stood up and spoke.

"I know that! I can't get over it, and I doubt you have either! Are you honestly going to stand there and tell me you're over it? You are one sick bitch!" she slaps the ranting boy and walks away. "You always did run away from problems!" she kept her pace, never looking back.

"He thinks he is the only one that misses her…" Asuka mutters as she leaves the cemetery. Just then, all of the pilots hear a loud crash, then an alarm blaring. "So soon? Damnit!" She runs back and forcefully drags Cass away from his lover's grave.

---

NERV

"All pilots are ready to launch!" a few seconds later, all Evas are on the surface.

A/N- Cass is really screwed up right now, so how will he fight? What will the new sin be? What will it's powers be? Find out in the next chapter; Discovery, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	31. Discovery

Neon Genesis Evangelion - Nothing Will Ever Change This

Disclaimer- I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion or any of the characters. I do, however, own the characters that I introduce into the NGE storyline.

Chapter 31: Discovery

"Sin has been labeled as Greed! It is around your area, so watch out!" Misato was informing the us of the situation. I wasn't too sure if Cass was okay to fight, but he was going to.

"There it is!" I saw Asuka pointing west, and I look to see a small, goblin-looking demon. Asuka drew her gun and fired, but the small creature ran towards her and took the gun, then went back to its original position. "Damn! That thing is fast!" she drew another gun, and once again it ran over and stole it.

"Asuka! Stop helping the enemy!" She already gave it two guns! Might as well give it a rocket launcher! Then the little sin drew the guns and fired at Cass. He raised his hand and caught all of the bullets in his palm, causing blood to fall to the ground.

A/N- I'm going to make a cool fight scene right now, and my friend told me to put in music. So I am. The song reflects Cass's new attitude. I will be putting Down With The Sickness by Disturbed, and I do not own them. Damn Disclaimers. The words will be in italics.

"YOU'RE MINE!" he lunges at it.

_Can you feel that?_

_Ah, Shit._

_O-wa-wa-wa!_

Cass lands on top of the already small creature, causing it to fall under the pressure. Cass blindly punches at its head, but it soon takes control and kicks him up in the air.

_Rounding deep in my sea of lonely, _

_Broken your serpentine, yeah,_

_Will you give it to me?_

He lands on a mountain, before the dust even clears, he is running full speed too it.

"DIE!" he rips out his knife and slashes at Greed with skill and just blind furry. The little monster jumps behind him, takes the blade and stabs him in the upper back. "AH! Shit!" he kneels down in pain.

_It seems what's left of my human side,_

_is slowly changing,_

_in me,_

_Will you give it to me?_

The sin giggles in excitement, seeing Cass like this. Neither Asuka or me could move, only watch. Cass jumps around and grabs the sin by the neck and raises him to eye-level.

"You're dead…" he throws it far into the air.

_Looking at my own refection,_

_When suddenly it changes!_

_Violently it changes!_

_OW!_

The little sin screams as it falls back to Earth and smashes into the ground. Greed soon pops up again and charges for Cass. It gets a hold of his left arm, and pulls it clean off.

_There is no turning back now,_

_You've woken up the demon,_

_IN ME!_

Cass screams in pain and falls to the ground.

"Sync ratio at 99!" Akagi was amazed at him. He gets back up and just stands there.

"AAAHHH!" he screams so loud both Asuka and I have to cover our ears.

"Sync ratio at 100!" Cass's Eva slumps over and just stands there.

_You know, you're down with the sickness!_

_You know, you're down with the sickness!_

_Open up your hate,_

_And open up to me!_

The Eva leans back and howls an ear-piercing note. Windows for miles shatter all at once. Blood drips from the 'teeth' of Unit 06.

"Oh my god!" I yell.

_You're fuckin' it up, you know you're down with the sickness!_

_You're fuckin' it up, you know you're down with the sickness!_

_And this is the gift,_

_That has been given to me!_

Cass leaps into the air and starts to dive head first right over the sin. When he gets close, he grabs its head from above and smashes it into the ground. It tried to get up, but to no avail.

_I can see inside you,_

_The sickness is rising,_

_Don't try to deny what you feel._

_Will you give it to me?_

With it on the ground, Cass's Eva gets on all fours and actually starts to tear at Greed's legs with his mouth. The little demon was screaming in pain as Unit 06 ate it alive.

_It seems that all that was good has died,_

_And instigated,_

_In me,_

_Will you give it to me?_

"Cass!" Asuka screamed in horror as she watched the dreadful sight. I couldn't help but stare as it finished the legs and elbowed Greed in the chest, leaving a large dent in its ribs.

_It seems you're having some trouble,_

_In dealing with these changes!_

_Living with these changes!_

The sin was unable to scream now, lungs probably collapsed. The Eva let yet another howl echo through Tokyo-3. Then it head-butted Greed many times, actually leaving a small crater around the head.

_The world is a scary place,_

_Now that you've woken up the demon,_

_IN ME!_

The small monster went limp, obviously dead. Unit 06 gets up, and looks at Asuka. He charges and grabs a hold of her neck.

_You know, you're down with the sickness!_

_You know, you're down with the sickness!_

_Open up your hate,_

_And open up to me!_

He is trying to kill her! I run over to them, grab onto him and pull. He elbows me and sends me flying into the lake. I slowly reach the bottom, not able to swim.

"Cut Unit 06's power!" I hear a large crash – most likely his Eva falling down.

_You're fuckin' it up, you know you're down with the sickness!_

_You're fuckin' it up, you know you're down with the sickness!_

_And this is the gift,_

_That has been given to me!_

"Huh?" I see a large, white tube with the words 'Unit 05' written on it.

A/N- So? How were the fight and song? I don't think I'll do it again, I'm not able to express the anger in the song through writing. If you have the song, you know what I mean. Anyway, Shinji seems to have found Sam's entry plug, is will she finally be buried properly? Find out in the next chapter; Hi There, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	32. Hi There

Neon Genesis Evangelion - Nothing Will Ever Change This

Disclaimer- I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion or any of the characters. I do, however, own the characters that I introduce into the NGE storyline.

Chapter 32: Hi There

Lake

"Almost there… steady… now drop it!" A large crane was lifting Sam's entry plug from the dark lake. I was able to see Cass trying to push his way to the front to get a better view of it. "Okay, now get me a few men, this is hard to open without a machine." About five guys came and they all pulled on the two hatch-handles. Soon enough, they parted and the smell of dead air went everywhere. Sam was hunched over in the chair.

"Oh my God…" I muttered absent mindedly. She was so pale; her normally brown hair was almost black. The most terrifying thing was that here eyes were still open, showing grey pupils.

"Good God… get Akagi down here!" Misato was in a panic. Why? She was already dead, that was obvious. In a couple minutes, Ritsuko arrived at the scene and talked to Misato for a couple of seconds. Her eyes went wide and she jumped in the plug, picking up Sam and running back to NERV.

---

NERV

"Where the hell is she! I want to see Sam!" Cass was still being held by police men. He was struggling profusely, and obviously could not move.

"Dr. Akagi, what happened?" I was talking to the pale woman.

"Sam… she's… alive…" She was stuttering.

"WHAT! How? She was in there for more than a day! The life support only lasts twelve hours, what about the rest of the time?" she just nodded.

"Shinji, I really don't know. Saying that it was a miracle would be an understatement. The CAT scans showed that her heart was the size of a grapefruit, yet still pumping. The MAGI says that the air pressure inside of the plug was 24 PSI. She should have died instantly, but her body kept on going," How was this possible?

"But… she… can I see her? Please?" Akagi nodded and led me to a hospital room. There laid an unconscious Sam. "Why… is she so small?" Her body was tiny compared to normal.

"The constant pressure for that long literally shrunk her," shrunk?

"Her eyes, they were grey. Why?" I just thought that it was because she was dead.

"Shinji… God, I can't even talk…" she started to get teary-eyed, "She's blind. When the pressure suddenly shot up, her eyes didn't have time to adjust, and her retinas collapsed."

"So… when will she wake up?" this actually brought some happiness to Akagi's face.

"That's about the only good news. She is not in a coma, she's just unconscious. I predict that she will wake up by the end of the day. Shinji, I need you to stay here with her. When she wakes up, she will panic at the changes to her body, you need to comfort her." I simply nod, sit down and wait.

---

NERV

I have been waiting for a five hours now, and it was starting to get REALLY late. I'd say that it was about seven in the morning, and I was about to fall asleep. Before I do, I get up to go see Sam.

"Please wake up soon," I put a hand on hers and stare at her for awhile. Suddenly, her eyes shoot open and she begins to thrash around and scream.

"HELP! I can't see! Cass! Help!" she started to cry.

"Shhh! I'm here Sam, I'm here. Calm down," I hugged her and held her still.

"Shinji? What's going on? Why can't I see?" that last part actually made me shiver.

"Just calm down," I lean back and look into her grey eyes, "I'll tell you later. How do you feel?" How will I tell her?

"Fine, a little weak though. I feel really small. What happened out there, Shinji?" she was calming down now.

"Gluttony jumped on top of you and from then on we don't really know. We thought you were dead, you even had a tomb stone put in. I found your entry plug in the lake," her eyes widened.

"I remember! I saw it coming towards me, so I hit the eject button. Shinji, this is starting to get creepy. Please take this blindfold or whatever you have on me off." She puts her hands on her face and feels around for a piece of cloth. Her fingers finally find her eyes… her open eyes. "Oh my God…"

"Sam…" I hug her again. She cries into my shoulder. I look out the window and see the sun slowly rise up from the mountains. "I'm sorry…"

"Let me se… let me TALK to Cass. Please." I leave and get him from his room – which he was locked in.

"Come on," he follows me and we walk slowly to her room. He has changed back into his normal army outfit. "Cass… you have to know something. Sam is… she's not the same as when you last saw her."

"What happened?" I look at him, his normally strong face was dropping and his eyes had bags under them.

"She is… blind." He stops dead in his tracks and bows his head.

"Shinji… please tell me you're joking." I shake my head, and then he falls to the ground, pounding the tile with his fists. "Damnit!" his hands start to bleed, I just leave him alone.

"Cass, she wants to talk to you." He jumps up and pushes me to the hospital.

"Show me where she is! Now!"

"Don't worry, I will. Just calm down before you see her. She doesn't need this extra stress." She could literally die because of it.

"Fine… I'm ready. Open the door." I do and he sees her. "S… Sam?"

"Cass! You're here!" she would have jumped out of bed if she could.

"Sam… I'm… so sorry. This is all my fau…" she puts a slim finger on his mouth.

"No. No it wasn't. I was careless and paid for it. Don't blame yourself." He stares at her growingly blank eyes and falls to his knees and cries into her stomach.

---

One Hour Later

Cass still hasn't left her side, and neither have I. Asuka joined us a couple of minutes ago, and freaked out seeing her friend like this. She was still crying silently in the chair.

"Children, I need to talk with you. Because of recent… incidences, all of you will be skipping this year of school. All of your test scores show that you will be able to, so you will not be attending school." That deep voice came into play just then. I turn to see Gendo, blankly staring at us. "Sam, however, will be going to physical therapy and – if she wishes – will attend classed to learn brail."

"Sure." Came a response from Sam. I was surprised that she did reply at all.

"Good. Your physical therapy will begin tomorrow. Be ready early in the morning. Also, even though this is a given, council needs proof that you can't pilot anymore," she quivered a little at the last part, "so I need you to sign this." He takes out a piece of paper that looked like a contract.

"Real fucking funny! You know damn well she can't see to sign shit!" Asuka was up in his face now. Even though he was at least five inches taller than her, she was staring him down.

"I realize that, but I need…" Sam cuts in.

"Just give it here, sorry if my handwriting is sloppy." She was actually joking around. Even after all of this, she still jokes around! Gendo puts his finger where she needed to sign until the pen made contact with it. She scribbled what looked like her name and he left.

"Asshole," Asuka muttered as he walked off. I'm sure he heard it because he stopped for a second, then was on his way.

"Lunch is here! Oh! I didn't know she had guests, hi." A nurse came in with a bowl of soup. "If you don't mind, you have to leave. I have to feed h…" Cass takes the bowl from her.

"I'll do it. I'm sure you have other patients," she understands and walks off. Asuka and I move aside and let him lean next to her. Even her eyes were wide as dinner plates.

"Cass… you don't have to…" she was having trouble comprehending his actions.

"I want to. Now just wait, it's still hot," both me and Asuka just stood there staring as we watched him spoon feed her. For those few moments, he actually looked like a parent with a child. When she was done, he spoke up, "I'll take care of you…"

A/N- I was actually going let her stay dead, but I decided against it. I have plans for her… Anyway, now that the kids don't have school, what will they do now? Will Cass actually take care of her? Find out in the next chapter; Waves, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	33. Waves

Neon Genesis Evangelion - Nothing Will Ever Change This

Disclaimer- I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion or any of the characters. I do, however, own the characters that I introduce into the NGE storyline.

Chapter 33: Waves

NERV – Cafeteria – Lunch

It has been two weeks since they found Sam, and Dr. Akagi finally gave the okay for her to leave the hospital. This was the first meal outside of the hospital bed that both Sam and Cass has had in two weeks. Sam was able to feed herself now, and was almost able to read brail. She was a fast learner, even when it came to walking again.

"I'll take the chicken sandwich, please." Sam was ordering her food… wait.

"Sam? How did you know what they had?" I was dumb founded! How the hell did she know?

"Because of the smell, duh! It couldn't be more obvious, they have chicken sandwiches, salads, hot dogs and burgers. Are you telling me you don't smell that?" She's fricken' Daredevil!

A/N- I do not own Daredevil. I HATE disclaimers.

"Uh… no. I don't smell anything. Sam, uh… what did I just order?" I just pointed at what I wanted, and it was handed to me.

"Salad with a side of ranch. What is this, twenty questions? What's up with you Shinji?" Damn! Who needed eyes with a nose like that?

"Nothing, let's catch up to Asuka and Cass." I looked at her as we walked, and had to look down to see her. I wonder if she knew just how short she was now, I'd say she was about four foot eight.

"There they are," she pointed in there direction, and Asuka saw this. She almost fainted at the sight. She didn't even need help to walk now, she refused to use a cane, so she uses one of those dog training clickers and – as Dr. Akagi describes it – basically uses sonar.

"Sam… you're amazing," I saw her blush at the comment.

"Stop." I laugh and look at her. "No, really, stop." I look down to see a banana peel. A fricken' banana peel!

"Sam, how the HELL did you know that?" she just lifted up her clicker and laughed. We make our way over to the table with Asuka and Cass.

"Hey, I was thinking, you guys want to go to the beach? I don't know about you, but I'm bored out of my mind. So?" Asuka proposed a mini vacation.

"Sure! I love the beach! I haven't seen any of the beaches here in Japan!" Of course, Sam was the first to speak up.

"Yeah, sounds like a good idea. I need some down time," down time… right. He just wanted to see the girls.

"So it's settled! We're leaving once you're done eating, so hurry up!" I noticed that she didn't wait for my answer… she knows me too well.

---

Beach – 2:00

"Hurry up!" Asuka was way ahead of me and Cass, the main reason being that we were carrying everything. I had a cooler strapped around my shoulder, four towels, and chairs. Cass had the clothes to change back into, a little bit of food, two surf-boards, and damn near Sam, who was hanging on his arm. She wasn't there to get help with walking, she just liked being with him.

"We're trying! How about you help, ever think of that?" Cass was seriously asking for it. Asuka just gave him a burning stare, and walked away to find a good spot. We finally got to the spot she picked out – which was pretty good, not too much sun – and set up the towels. Me and Cass had the typical swim trunks on, while both Asuka and Sam had two-piece on. Asuka's was red and white, and Sam's was a light blue.

"What do you have those for?" Cass was setting up the surf-boards with some wax and I asked, not knowing that he knew how to surf.

"Uh… for surfing! Duh! You know how?" I shook my head, and he just laughed.

"Does Asuka?" hearing her name, she comes over and cuts in.

"You talking about me!" Cass shakes his head violently and she cools down. It was kind of funny; she was always ready to fight, and people knew it.

"No! I just wanted to know if you could surf," to my surprise, she actually took the blue board from him.

"Yeah, but I didn't know you could," Asuka could surf! When did this happen? Cass just takes the other white board and walks off into the ocean. Asuka soon follows.

"Shinji?" Sam was lying down next to me.

"Yeah? Ya need something?" I turn to look at her. Lately, she has been leaving her eyes closed, probably out of shame.

"Do you think Gendo would still let me pilot?" that came out of no-where. I was actually afraid to answer.

"Well… Sam, you ARE blind. I'm not too sure that…" she cut in.

"You saw me at the cafeteria, I didn't think anything of it, but you were right. I was able to 'see' my surroundings, even something on the ground. Just convince him to put me in a simulation, please?" I just stared at her. All of this strength and weakness at the same time.

"I'll try. Anyway, do you want to go into the water?" like she wouldn't already be out there. I just wanted to change the subject.

"Thanks, and no. Just let Cass and Asuka have some fun," I forgot about them. I look out in the rough ocean, seeing Asuka riding the wave like a pro, with Cass in the water after a crash. I still couldn't believe that she could surf. "The waves, they never stop,"

"Huh?" that was random. I didn't know how to react.

"The waves, they never stop. They act as if nothing else is around them. There are hurricanes, storms, deaths in there presents, yet they keep moving," what was she getting at?

"Yeah, you're right, but…" she keeps on talking.

"They don't wait up for anyone or anything. If you don't grasp there presents, they will disappear. They act just like the world. Never waiting, always adapting, and always hurting. If someone were to die, they are not affected. That's the way I look at life. I was thought to be dead, and the world went on. Nothing was affected by it, and I don't expect it to. That is why I want to pilot Eva again. I want to affect the world if I die." That was deep.

"Oh… okay, I WILL get Gendo to let you pilot, I promise," She just smiles and lies on her back and catches some sun.

"Thanks," I can't believe that she wants to pilot.

"Hey Shinji! Come here!" Asuka was calling me, I look down at Sam and she just nods. I get the signal and leave the girl. I get over to Asuka and she hands me Cass's board. "Here, you're going to surf, I'll teach you!"

"No, its okay I don't really…" she just sighs and drags me out into the water.

"Come on! You're here to have fun, not just sit on the side lines! Now look, just lay down on your stomach and wait for a wave to come. When it does, just paddle to it, turn around and hop on," I did so – very reluctantly – and fall before I even get on my feet. "Try to balance a little more!" I try again, this time I actually make it about one second on my feet before once again falling. I'm able to pilot a two-hundred foot monster but not a six foot board… funny. "There ya go! Now just loosen up and you'll have it!" once again following my 'teacher', I try it, and I was able to stay on a little bit longer. About half-an-hour later, I was able to stay on about ten seconds, still looking like a dork though.

"I think I'm done for today, thanks," I hand her the board and go back to the towel. I see that some guy is talking to Sam, so I go over and cut in, knowing what was happening.

"Come on, just come with me, you can join our party," he was a tall, blonde guy that couldn't take no for an answer.

"No, but thanks," it looked like she was getting annoyed.

"Come on, at least open your eyes and look at me!" I finally get over to her and get in between them.

"Look, she said no, now back off," he just stared at me, and Sam had a furious look on her face.

"You see women as an object, you're pathetic. You want to see my eyes? Here." She gets in front of me and gets in his face, and whips open her eyes.

"Whoa! Ah crap!" he blushes and runs off.

"Loser!" she yelled as he ran off.

"Nice one!" I almost fell down laughing at the sight.

---

NERV – Gendo's Office

We had just gotten back from the beach, and I fulfilling my promise, "I need to talk with you."

"What is it, make it quick," that bland voice always made me angry.

"You know that Sam has been doing well in her recovery," he nods, "And today, in the cafeteria, she was able to completely describe her surroundings, even picked out her lunch without me telling her what they had. Sam even noticed a banana peel on the ground."

"And your point is?" he really is stupid, isn't he?

"My point is that she wants to pilot Eva again. She is completely capable, just give her a chance. At least put her in a simulation, please. She needs this," he stands up and stares at me.

"If she is not able to pilot, a new child will be coming in. Make sure to tell her that, now leave," I'm pretty sure that was a yes, so I just leave the large black room, feeling that for once, I beat him.

A/N- So, do you think Sam will be able to pilot? Will she convince Gendo to let her pilot? Find out in the next chapter; I Hear You, until then, keep on keeping on!


	34. I Hear You

Nothing Will Ever Change That

Disclaimer- I do not own any of the NGE characters or the NGE storyline, I do however own the characters I introduce to the story.

Chapter 34: I Hear You

NERV

Sam was getting ready for the simulation. She insisted on not getting ANY help from anyone today. Sam was in the locker room changing into her plug-suit. Soon, she walks out and I take her to her Eva.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" she had a worried look on her face, which was very out of character for her.

"Yeah, just a little nervous. I know that he won't go easy on me, and I don't expect him to, but I'm just a little… okay, I'm VERY scared. I don't know what I can do once I'm out there… forget it. I'll find a way," she had so much confidence. We go to her Eva and she got in. I wished her good luck and walk off.

"Okay, I'm ready," her Eva springs to life, and it begins. When the monster – it looked like Wrath – came into view, she whipped open her eyes and charged after it with her knife drawn. She jumped in the air and landed on top of it. Wrath kicked her off, and while she was on the ground, it jumped on her chest, grabbed her neck and threw her at least a mile. "DAMN!" She quickly gets up and tries to get a location on it. Apparently, she heard it because she whipped around so she was facing west, and it was there. Wrath flew towards her and kicked her to the ground. The sin howled and stomped on her neck.

"Simulation over!" and just like that, it was over.

"No! Do it again! Give me one more chance!" Sam ordered Gendo to give her one more try, "Just one more shot! I swear I'll make it!"

"Fine," she gets up and the simulation starts all over again. Wrath was seen in the horizon.

"This time, you're mine!" she charges after it yet again, and tackles it to the floor. She now has her knife drawn, and slashes at it. The blade makes contact with the sin a few times, causing it to howl in pain. Wrath kicks her off, but she lands on her feet. The black monster jumps high in the air, and lands on her shoulders, "Not again!" Sam reaches up and grabs its head, slams it to the ground and then it went limp. "How… was… that…?" She said between breaths.

"Misato, cancel the new recruit," with that, Gendo walks off.

"YES!" All of us yelled in joy.

---

Same Place - Ten Minutes Later

"Sam, I was wondering," Misato walked up to Sam, who was just walking out of the locker room, "do you need any adjustments to your Eva to help you fight?"

"What do you have in mind?" her face lit up with excitement.

"Well, we do have something. It's called ESP; I think it stands for External Sonar Projection. It's basically what you use to get around, but only you can hear it, and it is constant click, not just here and there. Do you think that it would work for you?" Sam looked so excited that she would be able to do this.

"Sure! Thank you so much!" Sam hugs Misato tightly. Misato's face was priceless, she wasn't expecting it, and so she almost fell over.

"Don't worry about it, we'll have it up by tomorrow," She pushes away from Sam's embrace and simply leaves.

"So, how does it feel to be a pilot again?" Cass was starting to get back to normal, and starting to joke around more.

"You have no idea…" Sam said as she walked into her room.

---

One Hour Later – Around 3:00

"Hey Sam, I was wondering, do you want to celebrate your victory over Gendo?" Misato was back and in Sam/Cass's room. We – Misato, Sam and I – were sitting around the table in the middle of the room.

"Uh… sure. What do you have in mind? Like, a party or something?" I don't care what anyone says, I still see the shine in her eyes.

"Exactly, a party at my place. Everyone will be coming; Shinji, Asuka, Akagi, and Cass. So what do you think?" Sam looked like she was thinking about it for awhile, then I cut in.

"Remember the parties you used to throw back when me and Asuka lived with you? Lets just do one of those, not to many people, some music, and of course, great food," reminiscing about days past reminded me one little detail… Misato was a drunk.

"Sure, I guess. When will it be?" She wasn't as excited as I thought she would be.

"Tonight, I've already ordered the food to be sent. Just come to my place at around six, but there is only one rule," her face got serious, "beds are for sleeping." She looked at me and glared, then laughed… I wasn't though.

"I don't even want to know. So six it is! Thanks Misato!" Thank god she didn't know me and Asuka lived together back then.

"You sure you don't want to know? It's quite a funny story!" Please Misato, don't!

"There was nothing funny about it! Where do you see the humor in it, huh?" Oops. I just dug myself in deep… real deep.

"Okay, now I want to know! Anything that could make Shinji blush I want to hear!" I was blushing! I could feel the burning on my cheeks.

"Well, you see, Shinji slept with As…"

"MISATO!" I cut her off, not wanting Sam to know, but she already did. The smile on her face was ear to ear.

"Asuka? So, Shinji isn't afraid of it huh?" afraid?

"No! It's not like that! We didn't DO anything!" she just nods and leaves to go take a shower. I glare at Misato.

"That was NOT funny, Misato. You know damn well nothing happened," She almost laughs.

"I know, trust me I KNOW, but its just funny to see you like that." How exactly was she so sure? "Look, just loosen up! This party is for her, so try and have some fun!" she got up and left. A few seconds later, I make my way to my room. When I get in, I see Cass and Asuka sitting there awaiting Sam's answer.

"Tonight at six!"

A/N- There you go! Hope that posting all of the chapters tonight was a good idea. It was my friend's idea, plus it will be easier for me to reply to your reviews this way. Anyway, how will the party go? That is about the only question I can think of… uh… find out in the next chapter; Sam's Party, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	35. Sam's Party

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Disclaimer- I do not own the NGE characters or the NNGE storyline. I do, however, own the characters I introduce to the story.

Chapter 35: Sam's Party

Sam / Cass's Room

"Asuka… I really hate to ask this of you but… can you help me pick out an outfit for tonight?" I was able to hear them talking through the walls. Cass was next to me, too cooped up in his video game to hear anything, "I want to wear something special, and for some reason I don't think I'll be able to get a good looking outfit. So? Would you mind going shopping with me today?" Asuka was ALWAYS ready to shop. For some reason, Misato asked us to dress nice, I had no idea why though.

"Sure! I'd love to! Any idea on what you want to wear? Maybe something to impress Cass, huh? I know the perfect place! Shinji! Get in here!" what could she want me for? I walk up to Sam's room and walk inside.

"Yeah? Ya need something?" Asuka's face was devilish.

"Three things; for one, I know you were listening," how did she always know! "Two, we need your help to carry things for tonight," how much was she going to buy exactly? "And three, you need to tell us what Cass would like. I know he talks to you about that sort of thing, so you ARE coming!"

"Sure, when are we leaving?"

"Right now, hurry up and get dressed," first, I needed to make up an excuse for Cass. I go back into my room and see him still playing the game. I had the perfect idea.

"Hey Cass, I heard that a free concert is going on down at the docks, I think it starts in an hour. If you hurry…" he jetted out of the room. "Too easy. Predictable jock!" I get dressed in some jeans and a button-up shirt, soon after, Sam and Asuka walked in. Sam was wearing a pair of short-shorts and a blue t-shirt. Asuka was wearing basically the same thing, but with a black shirt.

"You ready yet!" I just nodded at the fiery girl and we called for a cab… which I paid for. A sign of things to come, maybe?

---

Mall – 3:00, Just Arriving

"Okay, Sam, did you have anything particular in mind?" She just shakes her head.

"No, not really. Did you?" Asuka was in shock for once. Sam was not the kind of person to ask for help, let alone rely one someone else.

"Actually, I did. I saw this beautiful dress the other day, and I think it would be perfect for you!" Asuka grabbed her wrist – not to mention mine – and dragged us to a clothing store with a dress in the front window. It was a sort black dress that cut off at the knee, had spaghetti straps with – what looked like – a matching pair of black high-heeled shoes.

"Okay… I want to say I like it but… you're gonna have to help me with this one," Asuka was just standing there until Sam broke the silence.

"Oh! Sorry! It's black, cuts off at the knee, and has a pair of really cute shoes. I think it would look great on you!" even I had to admit, it was difficult for us to adjust to this.

"Sounds good, should I try it on?" Asuka laughed and, of course, was showing off her shopping talent.

"Of course!" Asuka takes Sam's hand and – once again – drags her into the store. After getting the dress, they both walk over to the changing room, "No peeking!" she demanded before thrusting the curtain closed.

"Who needs to peek?" I joke to myself, "I've already seen."

"What was that!" Oops.

"Nothing!" smooth. Way to go at almost getting your ass whooped, Shinji. They were in there for awhile now, about ten minutes.

"And here she is!" I see the curtain open and Sam standing there with the dress on. I fit her like a glove. It hugged her curves at all the right areas.

"Wow…" was all I could mutter. She really did look great.

"You… think Cass'll like it?" Sam asked with a burning blush. Asuka just looked at me and smiled.

"Yeah, I do. Good job, is this what you want?" She nods slowly.

"Okay, I'll change back and we can go… thanks…" not like her AT ALL. She was acting really odd about this.

"Anytime," I waited another ten minutes and she comes back out with her original clothes on. Asuka hands me the dress and I take it… big mistake.

"We'll be right back," then I saw them walk off to the bathroom. I wait outside of it for them until a thought crosses my mind… should I be waiting? Not worth risking the lecture, I just decide to buy the dress. How much could it be right? Wrong! I'm out 25000 Yen!

"How sweet! You bought me the dress! Shinji, you didn't have to do that!" she takes me in a tight embrace and I just shrug at the steaming Asuka. 'Actually, I did…' I almost said it… but I bit my tongue.

"S-sure, we should get going now…" trying to change the subject, I pull out my phone and call for a cab. We leave pretty soon and when we get back to NERV, Cass was inn his room. Crap!

"What the hell, man! There wasn't shit at the docks! I can't even FIND the docks on any maps!" He was really mad, I back up a little just incase he blows!

"I tried to call you, they canceled it!" I must be getting better at lying, because he believed me. Cass just went back to playing his game. I look at the clock and see that it is already five.

"Ah, Crap! Man, we gotta get ready!" he looks at the clock and jumps out of his skin. He runs back into his room – which was a mistake – to get ready.

"AH! Get out! Get out!" I hear a slap and him walking out.

"Hey… can I borrow a shirt for tonight?" his face was red… whether it was from blushing or the slap, I couldn't tell.

"Uh… sure… you gonna do that again?" I learned not to just barge in by experience. I've been slapped, kicked, punched, and gotten thrown outside more times than I can count because of it! His response was… different.

"Dunno…" He's asking for it. I started to get changed and he damn near fainted, "Dude! What the hell have you been through!" what?

"What are you ta… oh. Well, this one is from Asuka, so is this one… and this one was BECAUSE of Asuka," his face went ghost white.

"Uh… those look like knife and bullet wounds… I don't even want to know," I laughed at his reaction.

"It wasn't like that, I got shot from a guy that was hurting her, and the knife wounds were from when she was taken over by Envy," he just acted like I wasn't talking and finished getting dressed. I wore a white long-sleeved button-up shirt with black dress pants. He wore the same thing, but with a black shirt.

"You guys ready yet?" Cass saw Sam in the dress I bought, and almost fainted. Asuka wore a long red dress with the usual slit on the side. Asuka's hair was down and draped over her shoulders, same with Sam.

"Yeah, Misato said that she would pick us up, but she hasn't called yet," right on cue, my phone rang and it was Misato, "Okay, she's outside, let's go."

---

Misato's Place

"Wow! You really have grown up Misato!" Asuka made Misato fume, but she was right. Instead of the normal beer cans littering the ground, it was neat and the table was set up with delicious looking food.

"Hope you don't mind, but I invited a few other people," Just then, Toji, Kensuke, Akagi, Maya, and Hikari came out of Misato's room.

"Congrats Sam!" They all yelled in unison. Sam almost fell down at the shock.

"_What the hell is wrong with you! Damn! I'm blind you asses!_... Uh… hi everyone! How's it going?" Wow… that was… creepy. Everyone finds a seat and starts to eat after making some small-talk. The food was amazing; Misato really must have paid a lot for it. There was crab, salad, sushi, some American food I can't even name, and of course, Sam's favorite, club sandwiches. "Thanks Misato, this was really nice of you. If there is anything I can do to repay you, just ask,"

"Well, there is one thing…" Misato got a terrible smile on her face, "Just don't go and sleep with Cass without protection! I don't want to deal with you as well as these two!" She points at me and Asuka sitting across the table. Everyone gasped, Kensuke damn near fainted.

"NOTHING HAPPENED!" we both yell in unison.

"Right, is that why you two sleep together now?" how the hell did she know that! Did she… put a camera in our room? I'll do a full search when we get home. But for now, some revenge.

"Hey Asuka, do you want me to hold her while you…" she cut me off.

"YES!" She lunges at Misato, who was laughing, and keeps on yelling, "You know damn well nothing happened!" Everyone laughed at that point.

"I was just kidding! Now get off of me!" Asuka gets off – kind of, I pull her off – and the party resumes. The party goes on as planned until a few people leave – including Hikari, Toji, Akagi, Kensuke, and Maya left – leaving only me, Asuka, Sam, Misato, and Cass. Well… kind of Cass, he was so tired, he passed out.

"Hey guys, I have a one time offer for you," we all, aside from Cass, perked up, "for tonight only, I'll let you drink whatever you want." It took us awhile to figure out what she was getting at, and then we all shift in our seats.

"Uh… no, I'm good," I nervously say while clutching my soda.

"Yeah, me too," Sam wasn't up for it either.

"No." Asuka said with an attitude.

"Oh, come on! I thought at least Asuka would try it! Fine, forget about it," that last part sent her over the edge.

"Just give it here…" Asuka put out her hand and was given a can.

"Asuka, come on, you don't have to," I'm trying to talk her out of it, knowing that she really does hate alcohol.

"Shinji, we're turning sixteen pretty soon. We will be allowed to drink soon enough, so might as well make it now," she hands me a drink and I cringe at the cold can in my hand. She opens up her can and downs half of it… damn! I slowly open mine and PRETEND to drink it, not letting any beer in my mouth. The residue left on my lips was horrible, though. Sam kept quiet, not knowing what to say.

"See? Not as bad as it seems, huh?" I could tell that Misato was drunk already, so I didn't really listen to her. Soon enough, Asuka was drunk. Just after one can, Asuka was drunk! Not wanting to trust Misato to drive, I call a cab to pick us up.

---

NERV – Asuka / Shinji's Room

"Come on Asuka! Move your legs!" I was dragging her to her bed, I carried her most of the way, but my arms hurt way to bad to go on.

"How… did you like… your drink?" I didn't. Apparently you did though. I had to talk to her about this later.

"Just go to sleep," I'm sure she could sense the disappointment in my voice.

"Kay, thanks…" a slight snoring soon echoes through the room. That night I slept on the couch, not wanting to smell her breath. I was really hurt that she could be tempted so easily, this is what got her in trouble last time, she was lucky it was by a friend. Her choices were going to get her in trouble one of these days, and I might not be able to help her. That thought made me shiver, but it was true…

A/N- Do you agree with Shinji? Frankly, this was one of my favorite chapters, I thought it dealt with Asuka's real personality. It seems that Asuka does have some problems when it comes to peer pressure, but can Shinji fix it? Find out in the next chapter; What Happened, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	36. What Happened?

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Disclaimer- I do not own any of the NGE characters or the NGE story-line, I do however own the characters I introduce to the story.

Chapter 36: What Happened?

"Asuka, wake up," I woke her in a very sharp tone. She lugged out of bed, obviously an affect of a hangover.

"Huh? Oh… sorry…" she was still slightly slurring her words. I could tell she was feeling her beer from last night.

"Its three already. I tried to wake you, but I just gave up after the tenth time. Sleep well?" I knew she could hear exactly how I felt. Asuka just moaned and went to take a shower. I finished making the instant noodles I was heating up, and waited. She was in the shower for awhile now, about twenty minutes. Even though a she did take her time, she has never taken this long. I waited ten more minutes, while eating my noodles, and I knocked on the door. "Asuka, come on," no reply, "fine, I'm coming in. cover up if you're out." I walk in to see the curtain closed, and the bathroom steamed so thickly, it looked like a swamp fog. "Asuka?" I see her clothes on the counter-top. "Come on Asuka, this isn't funny," the only thing I could hear was the constant beating of the water. "Asuka? Are you okay? If you don't answer, I will open the curtain! Come on!" now I was worried. I swing open the curtain to see her on the laying in the bath tub, eyes closed, and body cherry-red. She was obviously naked, but it didn't affect me much, knowing that I needed to help her. "Ah crap! Asuka!" I reach for the knob to turn off the water. As I do, some water splashes on me… it's hot as hell! I pick her up as fast as I can and put her on the bed. Her skin is even hot enough to leave red marks on my arms. I call Dr. Akagi through the intercom and she comes running.

"What happened to Asuka!" she runs over and covers her up with the blanket, "Shinji, what happened?"

"I don't know! She was in the shower for awhile so I called her, but she didn't answer, so I went in and saw this!" my heart was pounding so hard, I could hear it. Ritsuko gets her cell phone and calls for a stretcher.

---

NERV Hospital

"Shinji, we know you know what happened. Tell us. We found a trace of alcohol on her breath. I will NOT hesitate to call security if you don't tell us the truth," what did she think I did?

"Rits', you know me! What would I do? What COULD I do? You know damn well Asuka could out power me. Are you implying that I did this? If you want to know what happened, ask Misato!" I point at Misato, now wide-eyed, "Misato was the one that pushed the beer on ALL of us! She saw Asuka getting drunk and just sat back!"

"I… I… didn't…" I knew Misato would deny it.

"Misato! Is this true? Did you push drugs on kids? Did you push drugs on PILOTS!" Misato just bowed her head and nodded. "Well I'll have you know that Asuka has burns on ALL of her body! The least damaged is her back, but it has first degree burns!" was she that bad?

"Ritsuko, can I see her? Is she even awake?" Ritsuko just points to a room across the hall, all the while staring at Misato with a glare from hell. I walk in to see Asuka, red at the face and neck.

"Asuka?" she looks over at me and breaks a faint smile.

"Hey… Akagi told me. Thanks," she looks back out the window and just stares. I take a seat I the chair next to her.

"Asuka, I know that this is a bad time, but you have to tell me. What happened to you?"

"I was taking a shower and fell, then I…" I cut her off.

"Not that. I know why it happened; it was because you got drunk last night. What I want to know is why you feel compelled to prove yourself, even to people you don't like. Why?" this caught her off guard.

"Like I said before, there are some things you don't want to know about me," I wasn't going to take that as an answer. I shoot up out of the chair.

"Bullshit Asuka! You know damn well that it doesn't matter to me what has happened to you! So yes, I DO want to know! Why do you care? Why do you try to impress? Tell me, or I won't leave!" she stared at me with wide eyes, then smiles.

"You really want to know? Fine. Take a seat, Mr. Ikari," I take a seat as I was told, "I grew up in Germany, as you know. While there, I lived my whole life without my father, only my mother was there for me. Soon enough, the stress of being a single parent got to her mind. At first, it just started with a few anti-depressant pills, but then it got more serious. She was soon put into an asylum for – quote – severe mental stress. I went to live in a foster home, where – a few days later – I was picked up from NERV. I would visit my mother every week, still being very dependant on her. I was only seven. It went on like this for awhile, about a year I would say, and one day, I was running to her room. I open the door to see her hanging from the ceiling with a doll with red hair next to her, also hanging. The guards said that she saw the doll as me, always talking to it. I was obviously upset by this, but a few days later, I over-hear a few NERV employees talking. 'Now that she doesn't have a family, it doesn't matter if she dies in battle.' I would later find out that my mother was also an Eva pilot. I took this to heart. From that point on, I made myself two promises; to never let anyone love me or for me to love back, and to prove that I AM worth the time NERV spent training with me. When I finally got used to this fact, about seven years later, I was thrown into this hell-hole called Japan. That's about it. You broke one of my promises, so now answer one question for me; why the fuck do you care? Cause' I sure as hell don't." I had no idea she went through all of that.

"Asuka…" was all I could mutter.

"Just forget it. Leave… now." I walk out of the room, almost in tears. Misato and Ritsuko were gone. I slowly walk back to our room. When I was in there – trying to avoid my own thoughts – I clean the room. I fold and put away her clothes that were still on the counter. When I had nothing else to do, I just laid down on my bed, staring at the ceiling. After a few minutes, I realized I couldn't just wait for her. I walk back to her room to see her sleeping. I take the chair next to her like last time and fall asleep myself.

---

Same Place – 7:00

"I'm fine, just leave me alone! I don't need your help!" I woke up to Asuka struggling with Ritsuko. The doctor had a bowl of this clear liquid.

"I will do this, by force if I have to! Bring it in here!" I see a stretcher with leather straps on it being rolled in by a guy, he soon left. "Shinji, help me lift her up!" I just stand there. "Shinji!"

"What are you trying to do to her?"

"We need to put on her medicine for her burns," she holds out the bowl.

"Then what's all the fuss about? And why do you have that?" I point to the stretcher.

"This will speed up her healing, but it hurts like hell. It's to restrain her. You don't have a choice Asuka, it's a direct order from Gendo!"

"I said no! Your not putting that crap on me!" Ritsuko grabs her arm, and Asuka yells, "Ah! What the hell?" Akagi quickly let go to reveal Asuka's arm throbbing in pain.

"Fine, if you won't help, I'll call for it," she does so and two large men come walking in. they prove to be too much for her, they slam Asuka on the stretcher, and apply the straps.

"Shinji, you might want to leave," I'm trying to get to her, but I can't due to one of the guys holding me. "Take him out!" they carry me out of the room, and slam the door. I try to get back in, but it was locked. I suddenly hear Asuka screaming.

"Let me in! Come on! Open the door!" she is still screaming and cursing at them. Not being able to do anything, I just slide down the back of the door and onto the ground. I started to cry, hearing her like that.

"She'll be fine, Come on, there's nothing you can do." I look up to see Misato holding out her hand. I deny the offer.

"This is all your fault. Asuka is in there suffering and you act like it's nothing!" get up to look at her in the eyes, "first, you drive us both insane, then you hold us up at gun point, causing me to kill my own child, then you embarrass the hell out of both of us intently, and then you get Asuka drunk, causing this!" I point to the door where Asuka was still screaming, "How the HELL do justify this? Look, just stay out of our lives! All you do is cause pain for both of us! Do you hear her! God, I never thought you of all people would act like this! Weren't you the one that said you saw me and Asuka as your children? What parent treats there child like this? Not even Gendo is this bad!" she just stares at me, "That's what I thought, that's your answer for everything. Just go home and get wasted like always, it's all you're good for!" I see a few tears form in the corners of her eyes, "No! Not this time! You are not going to make me feel bad about this!" I start to walk away.

"Shin… ji…" she said between breaths.

"WHAT! What the hell do you want!"

"I'm… sorry…" forget it; I'm so sick of her.

"Whatever."

A/N- I didn't mean for Shinji to get that mad, I got a little carried away! How will Shinji deal with his new discoveries? Will Asuka and Shinji's relationship suffer? Find out in the next chapter; My Limits, until then, keep on keepin' on!

A/A/N- I need some of your help, I feel like Asuka is getting out of character (OOC), do you feel this way if so, tell me what I can do to change it. Thanks in advance.


	37. Where?

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Disclaimer- I do not own any of the NGE characters or the NGE storyline. I do however own the characters I introduce to the story.

Chapter 37: Where?

NERV Hospital

I was walking Asuka out of the hospital, we haven't talked in three days, and it was slowly killing me inside. All of her burns were healed, but her screams would never leave my mind. Yet another burden I must haul around.

"Shinji… why do you care?" not this again.

"I've told you many times before; you're everything I'm not. I need you." She stopped and looked at me.

"You always say you need me, but why? Why do you need such a horrible person? I have always been, and still do, treating you like crap. Not once have I ever shown you that I care, but you try to prove to me that you do at every chance you get. Nobody else has ever tried to care for me, but you do. Why do you want such a bitch?" where was this coming from?

"For one, I don't think you're a bitch at all. You try to make yourself look like that, but it doesn't work for anyone that knows you," I chuckle a little, "though you do seem a little mean always teasing me like that…" I give a devilish smile. She knew what I meant, and smiled back.

"I'll stop teasing… soon," that ended pretty quick. Wait… stop teasing? Were we talking about the same thing here!

"Uh… okay? Anyway… look, I'm sorry about not being able to stop Akagi, but I was able to stop Misato. I doubt that she will EVER talk to either of us again." Asuka's eyes went wide.

"Shinji… what did you do? Did you actually stand up to someone! It's a miracle!" Was I that spineless?

"Yeah, and you know what? I don't feel bad about it. I really do feel like I did the right thing," I turn and smile at a now wide-eyed Asuka. We went on our ways, and finally got to our room.

"Feels good to be home! I- Shinji… you… did laundry?" I just nod, "Ah crap! Did you find it?" find it? What was she talking about? I shake my head, and she sighs in relief.

"I'm a little afraid to ask, but what was I not supposed to find?" she looks at me with a seductive smile.

"No-thing!" she sings. She was up to something.

"Okay… well, you hungry?" she nods violently and sees the pizza I pull out of the oven.

"Nice! You finally made something worth eating!"

"Hey, I thought you weren't going to tease me anymore," I was joking on my part.

"Oh! You meant teasing with words! Yeah, I'm not done with that yet!" What!

---

Sync Test – 3:00 – Same Day

"The sync scores are; Shinji- 89, Sam- 85, Cass- 88, and Asuka is… this can't be right… a 98? Asuka? What are you doing in there?" Ritsuko's voice rang through our intercoms.

"I'm at a what!" how was she so high? This had to be a mistake; her scores aren't even that high during battle.

"Yeah, you're at a 98. I need to talk with you after this. Get changed and meet me in my office." We got out and we all got changed. We watched as Asuka walked in her office. Cass and I ran up to the door and put our ears to it.

"You guys are pathetic… ah screw it." Sam came over and did the same.

"Asuka… is there anything different with your life right now?" the doctor's voice came through the door.

"Well, aside from having acid poured on me by you, no. truthfully, I have no idea why I got a 98. Wait… yes I do," here it comes, " I'm the best pilot NERV has to offer!" saw that coming. Over-confidence killed the cat… or something like that.

"Seriously Asuka, Evas are piloted on how well the state of mind the controller has. That includes being happy or sad. You must be Cass at a gun-shop to be that happy, now tell me. What has happened?" Cass got mad at this comment.

"Nothing! I told you already! Now can I go?" Asuka was really ready to leave.

"Does it have something to do with Shinji?"

"WHAT! I told you no! Forget this! I'm out!" she swings open the door and hit all of us in the face – aside from Sam, she saw it coming and moved. "Serves you right for eves-dropping!" she helps me up, and leaves Cass.

"Hey! I'm not good enough to help?" he says as he gets up.

"Help yourself!"

---

Asuka / Shinji's Room

"Hey Asuka, I was wondering, did you want to go somewhere? We could bring Cass and Sam, of course. Sound fun?" I still had more than enough money to get out from Cass's payment.

"Sure, I guess. Let me get dressed," not what I meant.

"No, hold on, let me word this better, do you want to TRAVEL? We could get out-of the country and have some fun away from NERV." She looked at me with a confused look.

"What? You mean like a… vacation? How will we pay for it?" Asuka was worried about money? That was something new!

"I have a small fortune stashed away. So, where do you want to go?" I could see that she was thinking about it. After about en seconds she got a huge smile on her face.

"How about Miami? I heard that it is beautiful over there." I was slightly surprised she didn't want to go to Germany.

"Miami? Sounds good, one problem though… we don't speak English. Neither does Cass, Sam is the only one that can. We would have to learn a little bit," she just shrugs.

"Whatever, how hard could it be?" she was always ready for a challenge.

A/N- Asuka doesn't know English now does she! This might even be a challenge to her. Also, I chose Miami because I lived there for ten years and – to me – it is one of the greatest tropical locations in the world. Will Cass and Sam agree to it? Find out in the next chapter; See Ya, until then, keep on keepin' on!

A/A/N- I just realized… I never made a grave for Rei! Man! That would have been a great scene with Shinji! I'll just do it later. Still won't be as good though.


	38. See Ya!

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Disclaimer- I do not own the NGE characters or the NNGE storyline. I do, however, own the characters I introduce to the story.

Chapter 38: See Ya!

Cass / Sam's Room

"You're kidding me! We're going on a vacation? That's awesome!" not really a vacation because we weren't in school. Sam was obviously excited.

"Hold on, there is one major problem; what about Gendo? He'll never let us go, what about that?" Cass was right… except for one detail.

"Just let me handle him, I can be sneaky too!" I held up an envelope stuffed to the rim with…

"Don't be such a downer! You know you want to come!" Asuka was excited for once in quite awhile.

"Well, yeah but…" Cass was being difficult.

"Okay, fine, you want to know what we did?" Asuka and I did have our own plans…

---

An Hour Earlier – Gendo's Office

"You want to what? No. now get back to your rooms." He didn't even let us try to convince him.

"Oh, come on! We've saved the world over twenty times and you are telling me that we can't even…" Asuka was cut off from her rant.

"Yes, I am. Now leave." This wouldn't be easy… that is if we didn't have these.

"How about now?" I throw a few pictures of him and Akagi together… REALLY together on the table, "You really should watch where you suck face, father." He went red with anger. He leaped up and tore up the pictures then put them in a paper-shredder, "That would work… if I didn't have about three-hundred more! Look, it's real simple, you let us go and I give them to you. You're beaten, get over it. Just let us go, either that or these appear as the MAGI screensaver!" I was obviously joking about the last part.

"Fine… but once you get there you call me and tell me where you put them, you understand?"

"Yes. Also, just to make your day even crappier, I want you to know that we want a set amount of 60000 Yen each," that got him red with anger… I'm loving this!

"That's absurd!" I take out my favorite picture of her sitting on his lap, "Fine… 60000 each, no more."

"Thank you father, have a good day!"

"See ya commander!" just to taunt him, Asuka blew him a kiss.

---

"Wow… nice…" Cass muttered, "When are we leaving?"

"How about in an hour?" Asuka leans inches from his face and asks the question that made him jump.

"AN HOUR! Man, I need some time to pack!" I wave my finger.

"No you don't, already done by my father personally!" I made him pack our clothes! Just as a joke, I had him iron Cass's underwear.

"You did that too! You do know you're going to get killed when we get back, right?" another thing I took care of.

"No I won't, I have a picture stashed away…" Cass still didn't know that the pictures were of Gendo and Akagi. "Well, let's get going! Our limo is outside!"

"Shinji… you got a limo too? You're pushing it… and I like it." Asuka gave me a smile, but I couldn't pin-point what it meant. We walked out to the limo and got in. the ride was funny as hell, seeing as Gendo was the driver!

"Shinji… I to give you some credit. You found your enemy's weakness and attacked it," He was complementing me! "You're becoming more like me every day."

"Oh, bull! I will never be like you!" he shut up after that, all the better too. We got to the airport and took our plane to Miami. The girls just went to sleep, but Cass and I stayed up a little.

"Hey Shinji, what happened to Asuka?" Did he know about her past?

"What do you mean?" he points to her sleeping. She was slumped over in her chair, and her loose-fit shirt was pulled up and showed a little bit of her back. It had so many scars on it! Most were oblong circles, but it was really creepy.

"I… don't know. That wasn't there a few days ago…" I really had no idea.

"Maybe it's from… wait, how would you know what it was a few days ago?" Oops…

"Uh… what I meant is… just forget about it. I need to ask her about that." The conversation died from there. I go over to her, pull down her shirt and went back to my seat to catch some sleep myself.

A/N- Do you like Miami? The kids will be spending a few days there, someone will change there lives. Hope you enjoy these next few R&R chapters. See what they do as a vaction in the next chapter; Paradise Part 1: Arrival, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	39. Paradise Part 1: Arrival

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Disclaimer- I do not own anything to do with NGE. That was faster than normal!

Chapter 39: Paradise Part 1: Arrival

Same Place - Fifteen Hours Later

"Oh… my… God…" Asuka was complaining again, "I'm so bored! Damn! I've seen this friggin' Adam Sandler movie eight times now! I swear to God, if I see that 'you can do it!' guy one more time I'll kill myself!"

A/N- I do not own any of Adam's movies. I HATE DISCLAIMERS!

"We're almost there, see, the pilot just sent a message. He said that we're going to arrive in about ten minutes." Cass and Sam are asleep… and Sam is using him as a pillow. CLICK, I might need this later. I put the camera away and go back to talking with Asuka.

"Thank God! I'm so sick of this! Oh yeah, Shinji, I've been meaning to ask you something, what is a mile-high-club? I've seen that couple talking about it all day, then the just went somewhere. It's bugging me now, so I need to know," she didn't know?

"Well… it's… uh… just don't use the bathroom."

"Why? Wait… oh that's just gross!" I laughed at her reaction to this. When the couple came back, Asuka glared at the guy. "Pervert." Asuka just couldn't keep her mouth shut.

"What did you say to me?" he stood up, and turned out to be a six foot tall man. Crap.

"You heard me!" Please shut up Asuka… please!

"The hell is your problem? Little bitch, try and get some manners!" wrong thing to say. Asuka stood up and kneed him in the groin.

"What was that? Manners? How was that? Now, when we land, you are going to clean that bathroom, you hear me?" she whispered to him while he was on the ground. He just nodded and squeaked a little. Note to self…do NOT call Asuka a bitch!

"Asuka… what was the point of that?" she just laughs and sits back down.

"Plane will be landing in a few minutes. Please fasten your seat-belts." We did so, but the man had a little trouble. I saw him loosen it up a lot. The plane shakes and makes a whirring sound, causing Sam to fall off of Cass.

"Huh? Cass, why did you… _oh shit!_" She leaps into her seat, embarrassed at what just happened. How she was so agile even without eyes was beyond me. The plane landed and we all got off, with the exception of a man and woman.

"Wow! It's beautiful! Look at the sky, so clear. I could get used to this!" Asuka was in aw… that was rare.

"Not bad," Cass was trying to sound cool, but you could hear the excitement in his voice.

"Never realized just how bad Tokyo-3 smelled," smelled bad? How does a city smell bad? I called for a cab and we left for our hotel. Sam – the poor girl – had to do all of the talking. We picked up some words on the way here, but not much. We checked into our hotel, I think it was called _The Fountain Blue_.

A/N- No, I did not make the hotel up. It is real and I do not own it. Damn disclaimers.

Me and Asuka shared a room, while Cass and Sam did the same. We each got a suite, complete with a king-sized bed, two bathrooms, and a Jacuzzi on the balcony. Even I had to admit it was amazing. We went to bed right after we got there; basically because it was twelve at night. Our room over looked the beach and we were able to hear the slow crashing of the waves on the coast-line. We were in bed when I remembered about her back.

"Asuka… what happened to your back?" she tensed up.

"My back? What do you mean?" did she not know?

"Your back…. has scars all over it. Why?" she leaped out of bed and ran over to the bathroom.

"What the hell! Where did these… ah crap! That bitch Akagi didn't put her acid on my back! Damn! She sure as hell be able to fix this!" I knew she would take it to heart. In my opinion – and I'm sure hers – her body was perfect. No obscene marks, no features out of place, and it used to be free of scars. She crawled back into bed. It was then I realized… I'm fifteen, and I sleep with her on a nightly basis. That couldn't be appropriate. I brushed off this thought off and go to sleep with a pissed Asuka next to me.

---

_The Fountain Blue _– Morning

"Shinji! Wake up!" I wake up to see Asuka still in the clothes from last night, "Come on! We are all ready to go!" ready?

"Ready for what?" I look at the clock to see that it was eleven already.

"We're going to a place called the _Keys_. It's a chain of islands off the coast. Some of the most popular beaches are there! You're the only one not ready to go." I take a second look at her. I was right; she was still in her old clothes.

"But look at you, neither are you!" she sighs and lifts up her shirt to reveal a bikini top.

"Yes I am! Now hurry up, we're leaving in ten minutes, with or without you." I knew she wouldn't leave me, but I hurried anyway. We all ran out to the cab and we were off. It took about an hour to get there, but it was worth it! We got to a pink-sand beach that had only about a hundred other people there.

"Wow, I've never seen a pink sand beach before. Pretty cool," Cass was walking around the calm beach.

"You've never seen one because they are so rare. Pink coral doesn't typically grow in clusters, so pink sand in general is rare," I just felt like I had to throw that little piece of science out there.

"Leave it to Shinji to get all scientific! Look, just have fun!" Asuka was right, I had to calm down and relax. I saw a sandbar a little ways out, and I got an idea.

"Hey, Asuka, I have an idea. Want our own private island? Come with me," I take off my shirt and go into the warm water. "come on, trust me! You'll like it, I swear!" she just shrugs and follows me into the water after taking off her shirt and pants. We swim for awhile until we reach the sandbar.

"This was worth the swim! We're so secluded out here! Nice eye Shinji! So, what now?" like she didn't know.

"Just relax I guess, we can lay down here," I sit down on a spot with a half-inch of water over it.

"Right, like you brought me out here to relax! Just make the first move for once," she laid down next to me and I took her advice. I lean in and embrace her in a deep kiss. She pulled back and talked, "see? Not that hard, is it?" she leaned back into my lips. In danger of sounding corny – every time we kissed was literally like magic. It wasn't even about the labels of boyfriend or girlfriend, I really felt at peace when I was around her. She broke the kiss and put her hands behind her head and closed her eyes.

"This was a good idea, huh? We needed some time away from everything."

"Yeah," she slowly said. She was relaxed. "Ya know Shinji, even though I don't want scars, I think it works for you. Makes you look a little manly. Really look at yourself, two bullets, two knife, and a few random scars on your torso. You have to admit it looks hot…" that caught me off guard… big time.

"Uh… s-sure. I guess…" I didn't really know how to respond to it.

"You know it does! Quit being so modest. We should start to head back, I'm sure Cass and Sam are getting suspicious," so we swam back to he shore and met them back there.

"There are the two lovebirds! You do know we could see you guys, right?" both of us blush.

"Whatever! Look, there's a sign for some snorkeling tours. We should do one, sounds fun," Asuka was actually trying to change the subject instead of just hitting him. we all agreed on it – even Sam – and went to sign up for it. We caught the boat just on time, and it took us about two miles off shore.

"Okay, look, you are free to explore the reefs as you want, but I have to point out one detail; if you touch, stand, grab, or have any physical contact with the reefs, you will be fined five-hundred dollars per square inch you touch. Get me? Okay, now you are free to go. Have fun!" the instructor just got done telling us rules, guidelines, and how to put on the equipment.

A/N- I did not make up that 500 dollar thing, it is true.

We all jump in and start to swim away from the small boat. It was beautiful to say the least. There was a rainbow of different colors. Schools of fish would swim right under you. A few nurse sharks would pick off the loners, and the reefs seemed to be moving, but at the same time still. I look over at Sam, who was still swimming, but obviously not interested in the sights. She was actually swimming like a pro! She would disappear under the surface for a few minutes, and come back up, panting for breath.

"Hey, Asuka, what is she doing?" I nudge her to look up at me.

"Weren't you listening? There is a statue of Jesus Christ about seventy feet under the surface. It shows him raising his hands to the sky, and it is said the if you touch one of his hands, you will be blessed." She sure did her homework, "One problem though, its almost fully covered with Fire Coral. You really should go help her before she gets burnt."

A/N- Look, anything I refer to Miami is real from now on. The Jesus statue is real, and the Fire Coral is too, if you touch it, it really does burn, and it will scar the area it touched. The statue is also covered with it except for a small portion of its hand.

"Ah crap, I'll be right back," I swim over to her and call her name. She apparently didn't hear me, because she shot under the water again. She could easily out-swim me, so all I could do was watch as she got closer to it. 'Damnit! Sam, stop swimming!' I thought to myself. She was a few feet from it, and actually reached out to touch it. By some miracle, she gets her hand on the small portion that was free of the blood-red coral. A small smile of victory crossed her face and she torpedoed to the surface. "Sam, how did you know what area to touch? Let alone where to go?" she never stopped amazing me.

"I've been here before, seemed deeper last time. Why don't you try?" like I could swim that deep.

"No, I'm good. I don't really need to be blessed, I have you guys." I never stop sounding corny do I?

"Okay, if you say so," we just swam around for awhile and by the time we were done, even Cass was in aw. We took the boat back to our spot on the beach.

"Cass, you forgot tanning lotion didn't you?" Asuka was almost laughing. I look at him to see he was beat red!

"I didn't think I would need it… I never needed it in Japan! What the hell happened!" I couldn't contain myself; I busted out laughing, "Hey! It's not funny! It hurts like hell!"

"Look, the reason you got burnt is because of all the moisture in the air. It acts like a magnifying glass for the sun," Asuka gave me another look, "sorry," I was being scientific again.

"I'm hungry; we should get something to eat. Know of any good places around here Sam?"

"Actually, I do. I forgot the name of it, but it is near here and when you order, they actually catch your food on the spot!" they… catch it?

"That sounds… good, actually. I take it that it's on a dock?" she nods and waves us down a cab. It wasn't too far, just five minutes.

"Smells like… fish." Cass was complaining! That was new.

"Well duh! Didn't you hear her say 'catch'?" Asuka took a table right near the rail separating the ocean and the dock. The waiter came and took our orders.

"_Okay, we'll have two orders of calamari, an order of crab legs, and one salmon. Thanks._" Sam obviously had to order for us.

"_Right away, thank you,_" the man walked away and we began to talk.

"This place is pretty cool. Pretty cheap too. Glad you knew about this Sam, great job." Sam blushed at Cass's comment.

"Yeah, about that, how do you know so much about this place?" She must have been here at one point.

"Well, I was born in Orlando, Florida. Then my parents had me move here when I was four, then NERV relocated me to Japan this year. So I know my way around. In fact, I know the owner of this place, I could probably get him to give us a free meal." One thing bothered me about her story.

"Really? I didn't know that, why didn't you tell us?" Cass really never bothered to get to know about her past.

"You never asked! No hold on, I'll be right back," she gets up and walks over to the main building. Sam comes back a few minutes later with a tall, fat man with a deep tan. Turned out that he was Cuban. "_See, these are the people that I told you about,_" she was speaking in English to him.

"_Really? Now, which is the one you're dating?_" She points to Cass.

"_His name is Cass, and_…" he cuts her off.

"_This wimp? Sam, you could have done better than this! You should be dating this young man, not that lanky army wannabe!_" Cass understood enough of this and shot up out of his chair.

"_Who are you calling a wimp?_" how did Cass know English? He said he didn't know it.

"Cass! Sit down, come on, calm down. He was just joking" There we go, now I know what's going on.

"Nah, screw that. _Hey, you got something to say, say it to my face!_" both me and Asuka are so lost. He was up in the dark man's face.

"_Calm down. _Listen to your girl," What the hell is going on! Either speak English or Japanese, please!

"Whoa! How did you…" Sam cut him off.

"Miguel's the one that taught me Japanese. Now please, calm down." Cass sat down, obviously confused.

"Wait, you can speak Japanese… and your name is Miguel. I'm lost," So was I, Asuka.

"Ah, so this must be Shinji! Heard that you were the first one to kiss my Sammy," Asuka was fuming, and I was blushing.

"And it was his last!" Asuka was glaring at Miguel.

"And you must be Asuka, the fiery red-head. Nice to meet you all," Asuka hated when she was called that. She dropped it though when I grabbed her hand and gave her 'the look'.

"This is Miguel, he took care of me for a year after my parents moved to Washington," so that was their relation.

"Sam, come on, what joke are you playing? I want to see your eyes! Let me see those green eyes!" he didn't know? Sam bowed her head in embarrassment.

"What the hell is your problem, man! That is NOT funny!" Cass was up in his face again.

"What's not funny? What the hell is your problem?" Cass looked at him with a disgusted face.

"You know damn well she's…" Sam cut him off.

"No he doesn't. Miguel… I'm… blind." He just stared at her.

"What are you talking about?" he wasn't getting it. Sam looked at him and opened her eyes. He jumped a little at the sight, "Sam… what happened?" his voice was uneasy.

"You know that story I told you about Gluttony? Well, this was the part I left out. I didn't want you to worry about me…" he hugs her. I could see a small tear form in his eye, but it was quickly brushed off.

"Well I can see it hasn't affected you! Let's leave it at that. Oh, here comes the food," I saw a platter with all of our meals on it. Sam smiled slightly and sat down, so did Cass.

"Aren't you going to join us?" Sam invited him to the table.

"No, I can't. I have a lot of work to do, sorry. I'll talk to you later. Bye," he sounded horrible.

"Okay, bye," he went out of sight, "now let's eat!" the food, I had to admit, was great! Nothing that I ever ate back at home came close. Once we were done eating we headed back to the beach. Not much more happened that day aside from Asuka beating up about three guys for hitting on her.

---

_The Fountain Blue_ – 9:00 PM

"My back is killing me! I'm going into the Jacuzzi to loosen up," I heard Asuka climbing into the mini-pool. I walk out to see her in her bathing suit from today leaning back relaxing. I had just got done changing into my night clothes.

"I think I'm going to go to bed, I'm wiped. Need anything before I do?" she smiles at me.

"Yeah, yeah I do. Come here…" I walk over to her and lean down to talk to her. She grabs me and pulls me in the Jacuzzi. I should have seen that coming.

"Real funny. You could have at least let me change…" she was laughing.

"Shinji, do you hear yourself when you talk? Just relax! Here, rub my back for awhile," she turns around and I start to massage, "A little higher… yeah, right there. You know, you'd be a good misuse." Now I'm going to have to change again! I had to admit though, the Jacuzzi was nice. It was out on the balcony, and we overlooked the beach. The sun was just starting to set, and the waves were a bright orange. Only half of the blinding sun peeked over the horizon.

"Asuka, look," I point out to the ocean. She turned her head and went wide-eyed.

"Amazing. It's so beautiful…" her reaction surprised me. Maybe we really did need this vacation. To get more comfortable in the Jacuzzi, I took off my shirt and leaded back.

"This was worth the trip," I said with my eyes closed, "hey, about Sam, do you know when her birthday is? I know Cass's is next month, but I don't know about her."

"It's tomorrow. I was planning on sending you two out while I got the party together, but you ruined it. So this is what we are going to do; you take her to eat breakfast tomorrow morning, and I'll do all the work. Just make sure you et back before twelve." Wonder what she was planning.

"Why didn't she say anything?" Asuka shrugged.

"Dunno. I just looked at the MAGI one day and found it out then." That was weird. Normally Sam loved to be the center of attention. Hope she likes what Asuka has planned.

A/N- Hope you liked the long chapter, I did it for all of my loyal readers; two in particular – thanks to Frost-Eva-00 and dennisud for reading this far. Now that the formalities are out of the way; what do you think the party will be like? Will Sam like it? Find out in the next chapter; Paradise Part 2: Bad Memories, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	40. Paradise Part 2: Bad Memories

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

A/N- Forty chapters! Yes! My next goal is to get 100 reveiws…

Chapter 40: Paradise Part 2: Bad Memories

_The Fountain Blue _– Morning

"Sam? You in there?" I knock on her and Cass's bedroom door, "Sam, hello?" She opens the door.

"Yeah?" She was wearing her normal night clothing; a very long shirt and… actually, I don't know what else.

"I was wondering, do you want to grab something to eat? Asuka and Cass both said no for some reason, so do you want to go?" as if I didn't know why they said no. I didn't even ask!

"Uh… sure. Let me get dressed and I'll meet you back out here in a couple of minutes," she closes the door and I wait about four minutes, then she opens the door again. Nothing special, just a t-shirt with a pair of shorts, "Any idea where we're going?"

"I did see a place called _IHOP_, is that okay?" she just nods and I call a cab. Just a few more months and I won't need a cab.

A/N- I do not own IHOP.

When we get there, it wasn't crowded at all. In fact, I only saw three other people. We went in and took our seats.

"_Jus two orders of pancakes please, thank you._" Her ordering reminded me of something.

"Hey Sam, about yesterday, did you know Cass could speak English? He enevr mentioned anything about it to me." I doubt she knew anything about it either, seeing as how she reacted when he did speak it.

"No, I didn't. He must have had a reason for not telling us," but what could it be?

"I'll ask him later. Do you have anything special planned for today?" I wanted to see if she would admit to it being her birthday.

"No, not really. I guess we could just go to the beach again." Not exactly.

"We'll just talk about it when we get back to the hotel… oh, hold on," my cell phone was ringing. When I pick it up, I hear a deep voice yelling his head off.

"Where the HELL are pictures! You broke our deal! Tell me now or I'll have you brought home!" Oops, I forgot to tell Gendo about the photos.

"Look under Asuka's dresser. Bye." Only half of them were there, I had about fifty more under the carpet! I close my cell phone and go back to talking with Sam.

"Was that our ticket?" ever since we got here, she has been referring to Gendo as 'our ticket', pretty funny I must admit.

"Yeah. Anyway, I been meaning to ask you something, why did your parents move to Washington? Seems kind of odd that they would leave y…" she slams a fist on the table, causing the plates and silverware to rattle.

"They didn't leave me! They sure as hell didn't move either! NERV forced them to leave because they didn't want me to train. Neither did I, but they already signed a contract, so I was forced to. I don't even LIKE to pilot, I just do it to…" she stopped for a few seconds, "sorry… I didn't mean to blow up. Just drop it." I sat there in amazement at her reaction. We ate in silence and went back to the hotel, but before we went in, I told her to wait a second while I went to the bathroom.

"Asuka! Drop the party! Forget it for now, we'll do something later. I'll talk to you about it when we're…" she cut me off.

"Wait! Why? I just spent a hundred dollars on this and you want me to DROP IT! Plus, I already got it set up; it'll take forever to get it down." Crap!

"Just get it done!" I hang up and walk back out to her waiting. Trying to stall, I try to make small talk.

"How was breakfast?" she gave me a look that could kill. So much for small talk. We just walk to her room and – unwillingly – slide the key in the handle and open it. The open door reveals Asuka on a ladder taking down the streamers. A cake and a few drinks were still on the table.

"_What the hell is this!_" Here it comes… "Did you stalk me! How the hell did you know?" Ah crap!

"Sam… we just wanted to make this a happy birthday for you." Cass walked over to her. She pushed him away when he got close.

"Who did this! You read my files on MAGI, didn't you? What the hell is your problem!" She storms out of the room and I follow her, knowing that she could get lost. She went out onto the street and just started to walk. After a few minutes of trying to keep up with her, I run up to her.

"Sam, what happened? We just wanted to…" that day, I found someone that slaps harder than Asuka.

"Wanted to what? Make me feel like crap? Try doing some research next time you throw a party!" what was she talking about?

"Sam, what did we do wrong?" I saw a few tears form in her eyes.

"Just forget it," she turns and starts to walk again. I grab her arm and turn her back around.

"No, I won't forget it. I did the same thing with Asuka and I will regret it for the rest of my life. Now look, you WILL tell me why you acted like that back there!" I was being firm with her.

"Fine… a week after my parents left, it was my thirteenth birthday. Miguel was throwing me a party, and I was waiting for my mom and dad. I saw there car pull up to the apartment, and they started to walk out. I ran downstairs to meet them outside, and I swung open the door to see them both on the ground. I went over to them and lifted up my mother to find her bleeding all over the ground, same with my father. Each of them had been shot twice in the back. By the time the ambulance came, they were dead. Now, ask me again why I don't like birthdays!" she was… an orphan?

"Sam… I'm so sorry…" she trusted her arm away from my grip.

"You're sorry? Bullshit! If you really cared you would have gotten the hint I didn't want this! Look, just don't talk to me!" with that, she ran off. I was unable to move, let alone chase her. I was just able to watch as she went out of sight.

---

Cass / Sam's Hotel Room

"What happened to her? Shinji, where's Sam?" Asuka looked worried. None of us had ever seen her that angry. I just went over without a word and helped to take down the all the party stuff. They kept on asking me questions, but I was unable to answer, or rather, I just didn't want to talk. Once we were done, I went back to my room and crawled into the Jacuzzi after changing into my swimming trunks. Asuka walked in and saw me in it.

"Shinji, what happened? Please, tell me," I look over at her and tell the story, "She's… wow. But why didn't I see that on her bio? It said that her parents worked in Washington as bakers. What was NERV trying to cover up?" I just shrug and close my eyes again. I heard her lay down on the bed and turn on the TV. After a few minutes, I open my eyes again and look to the ocean. My eyes eventually caught sight of someone walking on the shoreline. It was Sam! I leap out of the tub and run all the way to the beach. I eventually catch sight of her again and call her.

"Sam! Wait up!" she stops and turns in my direction. I finally get up to her and use my knees as support as I try to catch my breath.

"What?" she sounded so cold.

"What? WHAT! You run off and disappear for an hour and you say what! Sam, look, I know how you are feeling right now, and you need to talk about it! I realize that you may not ever get over it, but you need to accept it. Look, I know it hurts, but you need to move on!" I straighten up and look at her now teary eyes.

"Shinji…" she mutters before lunging into my arms. I hug her, trying to comfort her as she cries into my chest. I look up at the balcony to see Asuka standing there, but her face isn't anger this time, in fact, she was smiling.

A/N- So? Did you like this chapter? I felt it filled a lot of gaps; Sam being so short tempered and her ability to fight so fiercely. Will this ruin the vacation? Ah who am I kidding? Of course it won't! Find out what happens in the next chapter; Paradise Part 3: Just Relax, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	41. Paradise Part 3: Just Relax

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Chapter 41: Paradise Part 3: Just Relax

Beach – 3:00

The whole birthday party thing wasn't talked about since last night, and I doubt it WILL be talked about the rest of the vacation. We decided to go to the beach just to relax; no snorkeling, no swimming, no pressure, just to lay back and relax. This, of course, Cass could not handle, so he decided to take a little swim past the safety net. Big mistake. That net – he would later find out – was there to keep sharks at bay. He left, and a few minutes later he came back with a huge gash in his shoulder. Blood ran down his arm and onto the sand, leaving a trail of red dots.

"Damnit! That friggin' hurt!" well duh! I got up and helped him over to the lifeguard. We really didn't make that big of a deal out of it because it was just a bad cut, the shark didn't take a chunk of flesh, so he just needed some bandages. I swear, he could be the biggest idiot sometimes.

"You gonna do that again?" Asuka jokingly said when he got back. His blood was slowly being washed away from the sand.

"No Ms. Asuka. Hey, where's Sam?" I just noticed that she was gone too.

"She went to get us some drinks, is lemonade okay?" We both just shrug and lay back down. Soon, Sam comes back with two arm-full of drinks. Cass jumps up to help her and hands me and Asuka a drink.

"See? Just doing nothing is pretty nice to," Asuka was really enjoying herself.

"Yeah I guess. Tomorrow, though, I want to check out this place I heard about. It's supposed to be some kind of boat ride, but it's through a swamp. I think the place is called the Everglades," Cass offered. Sounds pretty good, I've never been to a swamp before. The rest of the day was spent on the beach, and I actually enjoyed it. We needed this time, even if it was spent doing absolutely nothing.

---

The Day After – Everglades

"_Okay, here are the rules; keep your hands inside the boat, keep your hands to yourself, and wear these_," the short man held out a handful of ear-plugs, "_it'll get loud out there, so keep these in your ears at all times_." After Sam got done translating all the guidelines, the four of us climbed into the air-boat and the man got up on a tall stool. "_Ready? Here we go_!" he rips a long cord and the giant fan starts up. Suddenly, we were gliding through the humid swamp. We tried to talk a few times, but it was way too loud. After a few minutes, the driver cut the engine. "_Hey, look,_" he points to a small clearing.

"_What?_" Cass was darting his eyes all over the area. The man hops out of the boat and lands in a thick mud. He motioned us to do the same, so we did.

"Yeah, this is a lot of fun! Great idea! You suck Cass!" Asuka was sarcastically complaining. This wasn't fun at all. All of us hated it, even Cass. There was fifty bucks down the drain.

---

_The Fountain Blue_ – Shinji / Asuka's Room – 9:00

"That was the worst day so far! Cass never gets to chose where we go again!" Asuka was yelling as I unlocked the door to our room. She gasped at the sight I put together.

"You like it?" I had the hotel staff set up a table with some great looking food in our room. It set me back about a hundred dollars, but it was worth it. The room was lit by two candles on the table and the smell of steak drifted all around us.

"You… did this?" I nod, "Thank you!" her attitude changed from then on. She lunges at me and hugs me tight.

"S-sure… hope you're hungry," I pull out her chair and she sits down. I take my seat and start to eat.

"This was very… romantic Shinji. What made you do this?" I had my reasons… and so did she.

"I just wanted to make tonight special…" she still wasn't getting it. I pull out her chair and she sits down.

"What's so special about tonight?" I might as well tell her.

"Remember that day at the beach when I admitted to you how I felt?" like she didn't remember. That was by far the best day of my life.

"Well, duh! What about it?" she really didn't know.

"It's been one year since then." She smiled slightly.

"Really? Well, then you're right. We should make this night special…" She then cut off a piece of steak. We were done within a ten minutes, and then I motion her to the Jacuzzi where we have spent so much time in. "Hold on, let me change…" she walks into the bathroom and comes out a few minutes later with her red and white bathing suit. I still had my swim trunks on from today, so I just had to take off my shirt. We crawled into the tub and lay back a little.

"So, how was it?" like I didn't know the answer.

"Great, thanks, but I didn't get anything for you…" for some reason, she said that with a seductive voice.

"Doesn't matter. As long as you are happy about it, so am I." she moved in a little closer – if that was possible – and looked at me.

"Actually, I do have something," she leaned into me and our lips met. It lasted for awhile, and I enjoyed every second of it. "There, now we're even…" Yeah, that seemed like a fair trade.

"Yeah, nice gift," she lays her head on my shoulder and we both relax fro about ten minutes. She brings a hand up and rubs the back of my head.

"Shinji… you need a shower. Your hair is sticky… kinda gross," I reach up and feel it for myself. She was right! It must have been from the salt water today/

"Okay, I'll go take a shower and we can finish what's left of our vacation," I get out of the tub and head for the shower. I didn't spend to long in there, but apparently long enough for room service to come and clean out the room, and for Asuka to set up her own little gift. I walked out of the bathroom to see Asuka already under the covers, apparently sleeping. I get over to the bed and start to get in when she whips open her eyes and throws off the sheets.

"As-Asuka? What are you…" I can only stare at her. She was just lying there in a black bra and panties. Her skin was a creamy-white color, and it was only contrasted by the fair amount of light shining through the glass from the balcony. She just laid there with a small, seductive smile on her face.

"You like?" all I could do was stare. What was she doing!

"Er… I… uh… y-yes," yeah, I sounded confident. But I really couldn't talk! What could I say? There in front of me was a mostly naked Asuka in a large bed. Any man would have been speechless.

"You did say that you wanted to go to bed, right? Well come on…" she invited me in. I slowly – and awkwardly – crawled in. Like an idiot, I have my back to her. She lightly kisses the back of my neck, sending goosbumps down my spine. She lightly ticked the back of my neck with light kisses for a few seconds, and then she started to slide a hand up under my shirt.

"Asuka… what are you…" my heart was pounding. It felt like someone with a hammer was banging on my chest.

"Just relax…" she continues to kiss the back of my neck. I get chills when she swings her leg around my waist, and she begins to slowly rub my chest under my shirt.

"Asuka… wait…" I don't think this was a good idea. She still went on with her act, "please, listen," I turn to look at her, "I don't think that we should…" she put a finger on my mouth.

"I told you to relax. And I don't think, just act…" she moves in and kisses me again, this time on the lips. She puts her slender arms around my body, and deepens the kiss. I was still unsure about this… but… seeing her like this…

"Asuka… are you sure?" She leans back a little and looks at me.

"Yeah… yeah I am…" she looks at me hungrily and moves back in. 'Well, if she wants to…' I thought to myself. I start to relax and melt into the kiss. She pulls back and talks again, "Hold on, this'll be easier…" she positions herself over me with her knees on either side of my body, and then starts to kiss me again. I had to admit, this was easier. We were like this for awhile – and I enjoyed every second of it – until she leaned up and looked down on me again, "What about you? Do you want it?" she purred.

"Well… yeah… I do…" hell, I HAVE wanted to. A small smile crossed her face.

"Good," she leaned down for another quick kiss, and then whispered in my ear, "cause I've been dreaming of it…" that caught my attention! She leaned back down for another long, passionate kiss. I knew that I was tense as hell; my body was actually starting to hurt from my tensed muscles. Once again, she pulled back, "Listen, this isn't going to work unless you relax. You said you wanted it, so calm down," how was I supposed to calm down when THIS was going on! I mean seriously, I'm still a virgin; I've never even been in this sort of circumstance.

"S-Sorry…" she looked down on me with a sarcastic smile, "How are you being so calm?" Sure, she wasn't exactly a virgin, but close enough. This was her first time initiating it, and the first time it actually meant something.

"Because I know that I love you, and I know you feel the same," she once again started to whisper in my ear, "would this help?" she leans up and reaches behind her. In an instant, her black bra fell in front of her, landing on my stomach. "Well?" all I could do was stare at the sight before me. Yeah, that calmed me! If anything, that made it worse!

"Uh… huh…" a small mutter echoes from my throat. With a small smile, she leans back down and embraces me in a tight kiss. Things only elevated from there…

A/N- Oh yeah, I went there. NOW you can assume what you wanted to assume back in chapter 11. Don't worry, I've gone as far as I'm going to when it comes to this kind of stuff (not like I CAN go any further). What will tomorrow be like for the two lovebirds? Will anyone find out about it? Find out in the next chapter; Paradise Part 4: Good-bye Paradise, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	42. Paradise Part 4: Goodbye Paradise!

Chapter 42: Paradise Part 4: Good-bye Paradise!

Same Place – Morning

I wake up to the warm breath of Asuka on my neck. She is lying next to me with an arm around my body. I was looking at her while she slept, and she had a small smile on her face. I try to get up, but every time I would, she would tighten her grip. On my fourth try at getting up, she swung her leg around me. Now I HAD to stay, I couldn't even move! As I lay next to her, I remembered last night. It was… amazing to say the least. One problem though, I was sure that Cass and Sam could hear us. Asuka was always so loud when it came to that. Not that I cared at the time, I was too focused on what I was doing. I remember seeing her quite vividly. At one point during the act, my hand brushed up against the few scars on her back, and for some reason, I felt uneasy. I don't think she noticed it though. One thing did scare the hell out of me though; near the end, she pulled me tight against her body and forced me to come inside her. What if she had gotten pregnant? What would we do? I have to push those thoughts out of my mind.

"Shin… ji…" she spoke my name in her sleep. I was a little embarrassed at the fact that her doing so raised my ego. That hasn't happened in awhile.

"Asuka… wake up…" I whisper so soft that I could barely hear myself. Somehow, she did wake up and looked at me.

"Hi there…" I couldn't help but smile at her comment.

"We should get going, it's one already," not that it surprised me that we slept in. Neither of us exactly went to bed early, "our plane leaves at six. We need to pack."

"Just a few more minutes… I'm comfortable…" she acted like I wanted to leave! I let her have ten minutes and then I got up, "spoil-sport…" I go over to my clothes that were carelessly thrown on the other side of the room. Asuka got up and threw on some loose-fitting clothing, "You know Shinji, I really liked. How about you?" what was I supposed to say? 'No, I hated it!' what did she think my answer was going to be?

"It was amazing. One of the best nights of my life, actually." it really was the best night ever.

"Good… was it worth it?" aside from the danger of her getting pregnant, yes.

"Of coarse… that is, if you feel the same way. Were you ready?" she just smiled.

"More than you'll ever know." What was that supposed to mean? Then, a hard knock on the door came.

"Shinji, Asuka, you there?" it sounded like Cass. I went to open the door and saw him nearly laughing.

"What?" he just started to laugh, "What is it!"

"Could you guys have been any louder last night? I mean, God, you woke Sam up! She thought someone was robbing us!" Ah crap! I knew she was being loud!

"What are you talking about?" I try to deny it.

"Oh come on! It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know what you two were doing! So, did you two have fun?" he got a wicked smile on his face.

"GET OUT!" Asuka pushes him out of our room and slams the door shut. We could hear him talking to Sam.

"Oh yeah, they did it." We then heard Sam giggle.

"Crap! You know what? I don't care. I'm just going to let it go. I am NOT going to let that jackass ruin last night." Well that was reassuring.

"Uh… good," I almost brought up the only bad part of the night, but I decided against it.

"I'm going to take a shower and get ready to leave. If you don't mind, can you pack my bags?" I guess I was already dressed, so I guess I had the time.

"Sure, see you in awhile," she leaves and I hear the shower start up. I just grab all of her stuff, fold it, and put it into a bag. "I'm really going to miss this place," I say aloud. Once I finish with her clothes, I get mine together. By the time I was done, she was walking out of the shower.

"Hey, you ready?" apparently she wasn't. All she wore was a towel.

"Yeah, but you should wear something a little more… covering." She laughed a little at this. She got dressed in a loose fit shirt, and a pair of baggy pants. This time, she was prepared for a long flight. We walked out into the hallway to meet a smiling Cass and Sam.

"Just don't say anything! Don't say a word!" She might as well have admitted to it right there, but I don't think she is ashamed of it. Actually, I think she might WANT people to know… nah.

"Look, we only have a couple more hours before we have to leave, let's try and make them worth-while," trying to change the subject, I bring that up… it didn't work.

"No, you're not avoiding this!" I knew Cass would do this.

"Okay, fine. What is there to talk about?" did Asuka just… admit to it? This comment caught Cass way off guard.

"Uh… well…" she got up in his face.

"What? You need a play-by-play?" Sam giggled a little, "You need some help with it? Okay fine, you just take it and…" Cass cut her off… thank God.

"Well that's enough of that! Let's go get something to eat!" Cass was now the one avoiding it! I was a little shocked myself at how she reacted.

"That's what I thought. Now, what are you hungry for?" Sam cut in (finally) at this point.

"I do know about this one place a little up south, it's called _Blueberry Hill_, they have some pretty good breakfast foods.

A/N- I do not own Blueberry Hill… damn disclaimers…

"Okay, sure," we called for a cab and headed for the breakfast house. When we got there, I saw that it was fairly small. Huge trees acted like an umbrella for the building. The small white house was friendly, too. We were seated almost immediately. We all ordered the same thing – pancakes – and ate in mostly silence. Every now and then I could see Cass glance over at me, when our eyes met, he just smiled. I was never going to hear the end of this… not to say it wasn't worth it though. By the time we were done, it was only three… damnit! We still had three hours to kill.

"How about we just relax in the arcade until we have to leave?" in reality, we had to leave in two hours, due to the airport being so far away. Everyone else nodded at this offer and – once again – I called a cab.

---

Arcade – 4:30

"I can't believe you did that!" me and Cass were in the bathroom, and away from the girls.

"D-did what?" like I didn't know what he was talking about.

"Come on, cut the crap Shinji. I know what you guys did, and so does Sam. Look, I'll leave you alone if you answer one question," sounds simple enough… or not, "top or bottom?"

"What the hell is your problem?" that was just wrong! You don't ask someone that! I start to walk out of the bathroom, now filled with his laughter. I go outside to meet Asuka and Sam talking… crap! I walk over to them and cut in, "Hey, we should get going!" Sam is smiling ear-to-ear.

"Okay, sure… nice one Asuka…" Asuka turned red, but let it go… kind of. This whole time, I've been trying to prevent people from knowing, but Asuka really doesn't care.

"I know…" she wasn't ashamed of it at all. I call for a cab and we make our way to the airport. We only had to wait about ten minutes because the traffic was bad on the way. Once we boarded the plane, me and Asuka took our seats at the back, so did Sam and Cass.

"I'm going to sleep. I can't stand being bored…" Asuka puts her head back and closes her eyes. Within a few minutes, I hear a slight snoring. I try to get some sleep myself, but I can't get to sleep. Cass and his damn CD player are keeping me awake!

"Cass, turn that down!" He looks over at me and takes off the head-phones, "turn it down!" he just slips them back on, and clicks a button on the CD player a couple of times. Soon, the plane was silent. I fade off to sleep, not wanting to wake up until we arrived.

---

Fifteen Hours Later – Same Place duh

I wake up to the pilot over the intercom talking, "We will be arriving in Japan in about five minutes, please fasten your seat belts." I heard a shower of clicking, so I do the same, "Asuka, we're here," she slowly lifts her head and looks at me, eyes half closed. She realizes what is going on and sloppily fumbles with her belt. The plane jars and rattles, then stops, "We are on the ground, please exit the plane in an orderly fashion and don't forget your belongings. Have a nice day and thank you for flying Japan West," We walk off and breath the old air.

"I did NOT want to leave Miami, but I'm glad to be back," Sam said with a yawn as she stretched her arms above her head. I then look to my right to see Gendo walking very fast – but not a run – and when he gets over to us, he grabs my and Asuka's wrists.

"Come with me," What the hell was his problem?

"Whoa! Back off! Don't touch me!" Asuka struggles to no avail. I can hear Sam and Cass yelling at him, but for some reason, they didn't come after us.

"Same DNA, same touch," he muttered. What was that supposed to mean?

A/N- What do you think it means? Not much to say here, except… see you in next chapter; Live With Choices, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	43. Live With Choices

Chapter 43: Live With Choices

Gendo's Office

"What the hell is your problem! We just got back and you drag us away? You bruised my wrist!" Asuka was – to say the least – pissed.

"My problem? I trusted you two to go on an unsupervised vacation, risking a sin attack without your presents, and you pull this! From this point on, Shinji will live with Misato, while Asuka stays where she is." Why?

"What are you talking about?" He looked up, and I was able to see the fire in his eyes even through his tinted glasses.

"I'm talking about the fact that you two had sex!" How did he know!

"What… are you…" I try to talk, but I couldn't get the words out.

"You know damn well what I'm talking about!" he reaches in his pocket and throws a few pictures of me and Asuka in… various positions.

"You pervert! What did you do, stalk us?" No, HE didn't but section two did.

"That is none of your concern! Shinji, go pack your things, you're leaving right now!" I just stand there for a couple of seconds, "Fine, if you won't go willingly, you will be forced." Just then three huge guys come in and grab me. I try to struggle, but I was easily overpowered. They haul me into the car and drive off. I calm down pretty quick; I was just going to get hurt. When we finally get to the apartment, they open the door and throw me inside.

"M-Misato?" I was actually out of breath. The door made a locking noise. I'm in here to stay. I couldn't see her anywhere, "Misato? You home?" I started to get closer to her room, "Damn! What's that smell!" it was horrible! I knew she was messy, but this was really bad! "Misato!" still no answer. No-one was in her room. I just wander the house until I get to a closed bathroom door with a note taped on it.

Shinji and Asuka,

I want to say sorry for how I have been acting. I DO see you as my children, and I greatly regret how I treated the two of you. After all I put you through; I don't expect you to forgive me. Just in the short amount of time we lived together, I had so many good times, so many laughs, and so many memories. Please, I'm asking you with all of my heart to not forget, but to forgive. I know you have heard this speech before; empty promises, and – in your opinion – empty feelings. Please, I want you both to know that I love you two very much, and I will never forget how I made you feel. Stay together, whether you admit it or not, you need each other. Don't ever think otherwise. I love you two more than you'll ever know. Thank you.

Misato

I was… scared to say the least. I slowly open the door to find her clothes neatly folded on the counter. I slowly walk around the small wall to find her in the bathtub, up to her chest in dark red water. A knife lay on the ground beside an arm dangling over the side of the tub.

"Mis… ato? Misato!"

---

NERV – Gendo's Office

I was in no mood to talk. Unfortunately, Gendo was.

"Okay, due to the Major's… death… Shinji will be living in a separate room, but still in NERV. You'll be taken to your room now," Asuka wasn't here. She was probably in her room. I was 'escorted' to my new room and I put my clothes in my dresser.

"God… why do I feel this way?" I knew Misato was dead, and I accepted that. What disturbed me was the fact that I didn't really care. I mean, sure, I LIKED her, but I didn't – and never did – love her. I tried to deny it, but in reality… I'm actually… glad she's gone, "What the hell is your problem!" I punch the wall in frustration, leaving a large dent in it. I just couldn't feel the pain. I WAS turning into Gendo. I didn't care – hell, I was glad – that Misato was gone. I just lay down on the bed, my hand now throbbing, and try to fall asleep. Unfortunately, this was impossible. I slept fifteen hours on the plane, and that was more than enough to keep me up all night. My phone rings, and I reach for it, "What?" I sounded like my father. Crap.

"Whoa! Calm down, it's me;" it was Asuka, "are you okay? You sound weird."

"No… no, I'm not okay. Misato… she's… gone." I heard a slight laugh on the other side of the line.

"Where did she run off to? God, can't she ever face her problems? Pathetic!" not what I meant.

"No… she's dead," this time it was a gasp, "I found her in the bathtub with slit wrists. She left a note, I'll give it to you later." She was silent for awhile.

"Shinji… are you sure you're okay?" actually…

"That's what's so bad about it! Asuka, I'm actually glad she's gone! I can't believe it, but I'm happy she's gone! God! I'm such a sick bastard!" she whimpers a little.

"Calm down, just… stay calm. I'm not too sure what you're feeling right now, but you have to move on quickly. We can't have you running away like last time, can we?" she is trying to cheer me up. In truth, I was just happy to hear her voice, "Look, just meet me in the cafeteria tomorrow. We'll talk about this. I'm going to bed, night, have a good sleep." I could tell she didn't want to talk about it anymore. I heard a click and I put down the phone. Being a little more relaxed, I was able to get to sleep.

A/N- Sorry to all the Misato lovers out there! I'll have a funeral for her and Rei later. Do you think Shinji will just brush this off? Find out in the next chapter; Late, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	44. Late

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Disclaimer- I do not own anything involving NGE.

**PLEASE READ THIS! DO NOT SKIM THIS NOTICE! READ WHAT IS BELOW!**

**Look, I screwed up big time! To all of you that have been reading my story before the date of 3-17-06, please go back and read chapters 5 and 6! I screwed up the load up, so I fixed it. You already read Chapter 6, thinking that it was chapter five. Chapter 6 was called School. I skipped 5 all together, it is titled Do You, I know it had the title before, but… look, just read it. So, there is a kind-of-new chapter in chapter 5. The chapter you guys haven't read is my favorite one of this story, and I think you'll like it. How come nobody noticed that the title and chapter name didn't match! **

Chapter 44: Late

NERV – Cafeteria

Gendo may have been able to keep us in separate rooms, but not apart. It has been two weeks since Misato's death, and truthfully, I'm okay with it. I have accepted my feelings on the matter and – while it still scares me – have moved past it. This morning, Asuka called me this morning in a panic and told me to meet her here. I have been waiting for her about an hour now, but still no sign. I have talked to Sam and Cass while they ate breakfast, and neither of them knew anything about her. They left and I waited a few more minutes. I was just picking up my phone when she came into sight.

"Oh, hey Asuka. Are you okay?" she was sweating. She wiped a few drops of sweat from her head and rose to meet my eyes.

"Shinji! We are in some deep shit!" I hand her a drink, but she passes it up.

"What's going on? What happened?" she was in a panic! I've never seen her like this before.

"It's not what has happened, it's what HASN'T happened! We are so screwed!" what was she talking about?

"Asuka, calm down. Just tell me what's wrong!" she did start to calm down, but still looked horrible.

"Shinji… I'm late…" what? What was she late for?

"Huh? Late for what?" what could be this important?

"Oh come on! Don't make me spell it out for you! Didn't you pay attention in health class!" actually, no, "Ugh! Look, I'm late for… damnit, this is so wrong… I'm late on my cycle!" I'm still lost.

"Uh… lets pretend I know what that means…" she gives me a disgusted look.

"This is not a joking matter! Damit, Shinji! I haven't had my 'time of the month' yet!" now I know.

"WHAT! You're kidding me! Asuka, please tell me this is a joke!" she shakes her head violently, "Asuka, are you…?"

"Its not for certain, but chances are yes! Shinji, what are we going to do? I don't want a baby… not yet!" this can't be happening!

"Look, you can't tell anyone about this!" I knew they would find out eventually, "Until we know for sure, don't say a word. God, I knew this would happen!" my heart feels like it's in my stomach.

"So what, we just ignore it? Shinji, this isn't a bad grade, it's a human being! We can't ignore it! All we can do for now is wait and see if I am… pregnant," if she was, it would be our second child. I just can't handle this!

"Asuka, come with me," I take her hand and bring her to my room. I knew Gendo would find out, but I had to talk with her in private. When we get to my room, I sat her down on the bed. "Asuka, we have to think this through before we panic." What was there to think about?

"Okay… I-I need to think about this. I need to… oh, God…" she gets up and leaves for her room. She was right; chances are that I'm a father. That hit hard. Real hard. I have been a father before, but that was different. I didn't conceive that child, this one, I took the responsibility and risk of sleeping with her. I'm not saying that I'm paying for it, but I was worried. Many thoughts crossed my mind. How would she react to being 'fat'? Asuka took great pride in how she looked. How would she assume the position of a mother? Truthfully, I don't think either of us were ready, especially her.

"I have to talk to someone…" I needed to let it out. I needed to just talk and have someone listen. I knew that it was a bad idea, but I had to. But who could I talk to? Ritsuko? No, she would tell Gendo. Sam? Another no, she would freak out. Cass was out too, he wouldn't take it seriously. It was at that time I realized that I did need Misato. She would be the one I would go to. Kaji would be another choice, but he's gone too. What about Hikari? Sure, she would freak out, but Hikari is Asuka's friend, she would understand. No-one else came to mind, so I decided to call her. I dial her phone-number and wait.

"Hello?" her sweet, subtle voice came on.

"Hi, it's Shinji. Hikari… can I talk to you?" I can't believe I'm doing this.

"Sure, what do you need?" if she only knew…

"I can't tell you over the phone. Can you meet me at the mall?" she pauses for a second.

"Uh… sure. How about in an hour?" thank God.

"That's perfect. Thank you. Thank you so much." No, I didn't sound needy! We both hung up and I started to get ready. I wore a pair of jeans with a white t-shirt. On the way out, I was able to hear Asuka sobbing in her room. I just tried to ignore it and headed on my way. I called a cab and went to the mall. I saw Hikari waiting outside, it looked like she was just arriving. I walk up to her. "Hikari! Hey! Wait up!" She turns around and smiles.

"Hey, are you okay?" anything but!

"Actually, no. before I tell you, you must promise me you won't say a word to anyone else. Seriously!" Maybe I was a little too forward with her.

"S-sure. What is it?" I walk her over to a bench and sit her down.

"Look, you know how me and Asuka have been going out for awhile now?" she nods slightly, "Well, we – I mean Sam and Cass too – went on a vacation last month. While there, it was our one-year anniversary and I put together a dinner for us. That night, she… well… we… slept together…" she gasped and giggled a little.

"Shinji! Are you serious? You two had…" I cut her off.

"Yeah, but there's a problem…" she shifted in her seat a little, "I… got her pregnant. Well, actually, it's not for sure yet. She is just late on her cycle, but chances are that she is. I just needed to talk to someone, please don't tell her." She was wide-eyed.

"Asuka… is pregnant? But… I thought that… she didn't wan to sleep with anyone!" well, that WAS true.

"Yeah, well, she broke that promise. I don't know what to do Hikari! Please, help me. I just need some guidance," I don't know what made me think she could guide me.

"Well, you need to know that you're not the only one in this. She is the one that is going through all of the stress. You were the one that got her this way, and you need to take responsibility. So you tell me, what ARE you going to do?" hell if I know!

"I… don't know. I do realize that she is the main person in this, but I just don't know what to do. I don't know!" I'm almost crying at this point. She put a hand on my cheek.

"Relax… just calm down," she slowly rubbed my cheek, "you will accomplish nothing by freaking out. If she is pregnant, I highly doubt that she would get an abortion, and I doubt you would agree to it either. She loves you, and that is enough to make this worth-while," she was the right one to talk to.

"But… what if she…" she cut me off.

"It doesn't matter. Stop worrying. Because you came out to me like this, I'm going to tell you something that should calm you," how could she tell me how to act? "I know how she is feeling. I know that she is scared out of her mind right now."

"But how do you know? How do you know how she is feeling?"

"Heh… because, I am a mother. I have been for about three years now," Hikari was a mother! "my child lives with a foster family three miles away from me. I see her every month."

"Hikari…" what happened to this sweet little girl I knew?

"Look, I'm not saying that you should give the baby away if there is one. In fact, I really don't recommend it. The only reason I did was because I was going to be a single mother. The boy that got me pregnant ran off. God only knows where he is now. Look, the point is that you need to calm down. There is nothing you can do at this point. Please tell Asuka what I told you," but that meant telling her I told someone, "and I promise that I won't tell a soul." She places a soft kiss on my cheek and walks off.

"Hikari. Thank you…" I waved down a cab and went home.

---

NERV – Asuka's Room

I walk in to see her still crying. Her head is buried in the pillow, and she is lying on her stomach on the bed. I walk over and sit down next to her.

"Asuka… look at me," she brought her head up and looked into my eyes. Her face was beat-red and her eyes were puffy.

"Shin… ji…" her chin was quivering. She lunged at me and hugged me hard. I put a hand on her back and try to calm her.

"Asuka, it'll be okay. I know it will," this wasn't the time to tell her, just to comfort her.

"How? How do you know? Shinji, do you realize what we are in?" more then she did.

"Just lay down. Try to get some sleep, you need it. I'll stay with you," I give her a sweet smile, and she does as I say. I get her to sleep and leave to go to my room. "Thanks Hikari," she did calm me. She reassured me. I think I can make it through this.

A/N- Bet you didn't see that coming did you? Do you think Asuka is pregnant? How will she handle it if she is? What will Gendo do? Find out in the next chapter; Test, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	45. Test

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Disclaimer- I do not own anything to do with NGE.

Chapter 45: Test

Drug Store – 3:00 – One Day Later

I can't believe I'm doing this! I'm going to look like a freak, but I have to know, and so does Asuka. I go up to the front counter and try to get the pharmacist's attention.

"Um… excuse me? I need some help with something," she turned to reveal a young woman, I'd say about twenty.

"Sure, how can I help you?" Her voice was calming, almost made this easier.

"Okay, I need some… uh…" She gave me a disappointing look.

"Condoms? You are too young to be doing things like that! Fine, there over there," she points to some aisle. If only that were it! Quite the opposite actually.

"No… actually, I need a… pregnancy test…" she almost fell over.

"A p-pregnancy test? Good God! Sorry… I'll get them…" I felt my cheeks on fire. People were staring now, I just buried my head into a magazine nearby. And, of course, the page I opened to was teen pregnancy. This day was out to get me. She came back with a slight sweat.

"That'll be $10.35," I hand her eleven, and tell her to keep the change. I needed to get out of there, now!

"Ah crap! That was by far the most embarrassing moment of my life!" I complain aloud. I could still feel my cheeks on fire. Not wanting to have some cab driver see my purchase, I just walk. I got back to NERV at around four, and headed for Asuka's room. Sighing a little in relief that I didn't hear crying, I knock.

"Come in!" I walk in and see her reading a book. I couldn't see the title though, "Oh, hey Shinji. Whatcha' got?" The bag was in my hand. My hand started to sweat.

"Uh… well… here…" I hand her the box and she reads it, and then goes wide-eyed. Asuka looked up at me and smiled. She was smiling?

"I thought you didn't want to know," putting a hand behind my neck, I laugh a little and blush, "okay, if you want me too. Be right back." She ripped open the box and pulled out a plastic stick. 'Moment of truth…' I thought to myself. In these few minutes, it'll be decided if I'm a father or not. "Shinji?" she walks back out of the bathroom, "Okay… one question… how do you use these?" now who didn't pay attention in health? Not wanting to explain it to her, I hand her the box. She spent a few seconds skimming over it, then frowned, "Oh that's just gross," tell me about it. There has to be a better way, "but… hold on," she walks over to the fridge and chugs a soda. This is just ridicules! I can't wait!

"Oh, come on!" I was starting to get frustrated.

"Well excuse me if I just got done going before you came! Next time, try to call me!" I hope there's not a next time! "Look let's just watch some TV," Asuka grabs the remote and turns it on. I glance over at the book she was reading. It was titled 'Teenage Pregnancy'. At least she was accepting it. We watch it for about ten minutes until finally, she gets up.

"Finally!" she glares at me and heads to the bathroom. A few minutes later, she comes back out with the test in her hands – ew – and a face white as a ghost. She slugs over to the bed and falls on her back. I slowly take the plastic piece from her. I looked at the digital face, now flashing 'Pregnant… Pregnant… Pregnant…" I drop it to the floor. I didn't think it would hit me this hard.

"Shinji…" her face was still white.

"I know…"

---

Hikari's House – 6:00

"Mind telling me that again!" We were outside of Hikari's house, I just got done telling Asuka that she knows, but that wasn't what surprised her. She just learned that Hikari was a mother.

"Don't make a big deal out of it! Look, she can help us." Asuka calmed down after that. I knock on her door and Hikari's dad answers. Just perfect. He was the biggest jackass on the face the Earth.

"What?" we both jumped back a little at him.

"C-can we talk to Hikari? We're friends of hers." He turns and calls her. she came into view and he spoke again.

"You got five minutes," asshole.

"Oh, hi guys! How's it going?" she winks at me slightly.

"Yeah, about that… Asuka came out positive…" Asuka slumped a little.

"Really? Well, you know what that means, right? You guys are parents now. How does it feel?" actually, pretty damn good.

"Well… I'm not too sure HOW I'm supposed to feel," Hikari laughs a little and starts to walk off.

"You'll know when the time comes. You'll know…" with that, she shuts the door. Both of us just shrug and head home.

A/N- There you go! She's pregnant! Expect a baby within the next few chapters. Will anyone find out? If so, what will they do? Find out in the next chapter; Birthday, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	46. Birthday

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Disclaimer- I do not own anything to do with NGE.

Chapter 46: Birthday

NERV – One Week Later

"Hey Shinji, I just remembered, it's your birthday tomorrow, isn't it?" I was in Asuka's room watching TV. Since so much has been going on lately, I had forgotten about it. She was right, it was my birthday tomorrow.

"Yeah, I guess it is. Why?" I didn't really want to do anything.

"Why? Because I'm going to throw you a party!" Asuka has been in a better mood since the talk with Hikari. I think she was ready for this child.

"You don't have to, really," she looked at me with those puppy-eyes that killed every time, "…fine, if you want to. Who do you want to invite?"

"Good! How about Hikari, Akagi, Toji, Kensuke, and of course Sam and Cass? Sound good?" I have a bad feeling about this.

"S-sure. So, what, will it be tomorrow?" kind of short notice.

"Duh! Of course it will be! Just leave everything to me, you'll have fun, I swear," I can't believe that this was the same girl that was sobbing not too long ago. She sure recovered fast.

"Okay, just don't wear yourself out…" this comment got a raging glare from her.

"Look, I'm only a week and a half pregnant. I won't wear myself out! Don't treat me like that, you know I hate it!" Oops… won't do that again. I won't be able to help it though when she starts to get 'really' pregnant.

"Sorry," there's my trade-mark. She slowly walks out of the room, and I soon follow. I was just heading to my room, but she took it differently.

"What are you, a lost dog? You can't come, I'm planning your birthday!" I just wave and head on my way. Once in my room, I lay down on the bed. 'Haven't had a party in awhile… well, a party that didn't end with me getting hit. Wonder what she's planning?' thinking… not a good idea at this point. I knew my mind would drift to darker regions of my mind better left untouched, so I left for the movies. Just out of pure boredom, I see an action flick. Not to good, I've lived most of what these people are going through! It felt weird to be here alone. I remembered when I came here awhile back by myself… not a pleasant memory. I felt so alone that day – and every day after that until the day at the beach – and I didn't like being here. I simply got up in the middle of the movie and left. I start to reflect on the past sins and angels. The one that was most memorable had to be Envy, – aside from the sixteenth angel – that one actually scarred me in two places. It was the only monster that left a noticeable mark on me. Come to think of it, we haven't had an attack I awhile. Wonder why? Was Lust already gone? I doubt it, that would be too easy.

"I'm sure it'll rear it's ugly head soon enough." I put my hands behind my head as I walked. Wait… where was I? I had been walking aimlessly for ten minutes, and it took me two hours to make my way back to NERV. "Damnit! Next time, pay attention Shinji!" I yell at myself as I slug into my room. My feet were killing me! Now that I was actually tired enough to go to sleep, I did. Just before I did though, I could have sworn I heard rustling in my closet.

---

Shinji's Room – The Next Day

I woke up to see a nicely wrapped box on my stomach. The red and blue box drifted up and down with each breath. I lean up and pull off the bow. Inside was a pair of baby shoes. They had a card attached to them, "Shinji, I'm glad you get to use these. Don't take your gift for granted. Hikari," this note brought a small tear to my eye. She really did help us. Knowing about my 'surprise' party, I get dressed in my normal attire and head to Asuka's room.

"Asuka? You in here?" no answer. That was weird, I thought she would have thrown the party in her room. Feeling confused, I head to Sam and Cass's room. "Hello?" I knock again.

"Come in!" I open the metal door to see people gathered around a cake with sixteen candles on it. That's right! I'm sixteen! I can drive now! "Happy birthday Shinji!" they all yell in unison. Just like Asuka had said, everyone was there.

"Hey guys! Thanks!" I was in a cheerier mood now. Just seeing everyone together again was pleasing, but not seeing Misato was a little depressing. I brush this off quickly.

"Hey birthday-boy," Ritsuko was coming up to me, "I talked Gendo into something you might like…" right… talked! She took my hand and slipped a key in it. Across the base of it was written _Lotus_. Gendo got me a Lotus? Good God!

"I… wow… thanks…" I was literally speechless. Who would have thought he would get me THIS. If I asked for a car – and he accepted – I would normally just gotten an 85' truck!

"Don't worry about it. Now, let's party!" a sudden burst of music came on. Seemed a little kiddish to be having a birthday like this, but I wasn't complaining. We just talked for awhile and ate the cake Asuka had apparently baked. It was actually good! She sat next to me, and whispered something to me.

"Shinji… I think we should tell them." Tell them what? Wait… ah crap!

"Asuka! Are you crazy! Rits' would kill us!" Asuka shrugged.

"She'll find out eventually. So, you with me? We might as well, I'm going to have a pot-belly within a few weeks, and I think they'll notice. So? You want to?" I guess she was right.

"What are the two lovers talking about, huh?" Toji was about to find out. We both stood up, holding hands – yes I know it was corny, but we both needed support – and the room went quiet.

"You want to know? Okay," here it comes… "I'm… pregnant…" the room was still silent. A few seconds later, everyone busted out laughing.

"Yeah right! Like Shinji would have the guts to do it!" Toji was almost crying he was laughing so hard.

"Come on… stop it! I… can't… breath!" Akagi was out of control. Hikari was the only one not laughing.

"Hey you assholes! We're serious!" the noise stopped instantly, only the faint sound of jazz was heard coming from the stereo.

"It's… true. She is," now I was finally talking.

"Asuka… please tell me you're kidding," now Akagi was almost white. Asuka shook her head, and then everyone almost fainted.

"Good God! The demon's breeding!" Kensuke pushed it right there. I threw a punch at him, and he shut up.

"Shinji… how did this happen?" Akagi was the only one talking now. How did she think it happened?

"You're a doctor, you figure it out! It's like a puzzle, one piece fits into another," that was a nasty analogy! Asuka was being real forward with this. I look over at her to see her blushing. That was new!

"Shinji finally got laid!" from nowhere, a smart-ass remark came from Toji, earning him a hard hit from Asuka.

"How… l-long?" Akagi was still white.

"Two weeks tomorrow," I answered that one pretty quickly. Come to think of it, I have been counting the days.

"Oh my God… I knew this was going to happen!" Cass was finally talking.

"You act like its such a horrible thing! Sure, I know we are young, but you know what? I don't care! This child will be taken care of and loved. Unlike the one YOU made Akagi!" Now I was pissed. She fell limp.

"Wait… what?" Everyone but Sam was lost.

"Gendo took the materials from us and Ritsuko created a child! We were younger then, so what makes this any different?" I pointed to her.

"Yes, I did, but you took a hammer to its head!" another wave of gasps.

"Because you were going to put that child through hell! All you wanted it for was to pilot an Eva!" then, silence.

"Shinji… I don't think you're ready for this. I recommend an abortion," Akagi was pushing it. I saw a few nods from my 'friends'.

"Get the hell out! If you can't be supportive, just leave!" everyone stood still, "LEAVE!" Asuka was seriously mad. The room cleared aside from Hikari, Cass and Sam in an instant. Maybe this WAS a bad idea.

"Looks like you're the only ones that are there for us. Thanks." The three nod.

A/N- Uh… happy… birthday? Yeah right! So, did you like the confession? Do you think Akagi will tell Gendo? Find out in the next chapter; Driving, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	47. Driving

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Disclaimer- I do not own anything to do with NGE.

Chapter 47: Driving

NERV – Dr. Akagi's Office

"Shinji, this is a very serious matter. Do you even realize what you have done?" I was in Ritsuko's office being lectured.

"Of course I do! I also realize that I'm ready for this, and so is Asuka! We wouldn't have slept together if we didn't feel that way. Why can't you just trust us?" Actually, even I could come up with a few reasons.

"Look, I haven't told Gendo yet, and I won't, but he will find out eventually. What are you planning on doing when he does?" Hell if I knew. I was just playing this by ear!

"That doesn't matter; what does matter is the fact that we are going to need money to support this child." She laughed a little.

"For one, no it doesn't. Have you even read the contract you signed when you joined NERV? It states that – quote – Shinji Ikari will be supported by, and under the supervision of NERV. Accordingly, any family Shinji Ikari has present will receive the same treatment. – unquote. So you're fine. But what I'm concerned about is Asuka's health," her health?

"What are you talking about?" she rose up from her chair to meet me eye-to-eye.

"I'm talking about her mental and physical health! You know first hand that she does not have the most stable mind, and this could drive her insane, like her mother!" ouch, that one hit hard, it was true though, "And second, her physical health can be affected to the point of death! She could die Shinji!" Asuka… could die? Just from a child? "Do you understand that!"

"Yes ma'am, I do. Even so, she wants to go through giving birth to this child. I also doubt that it will affect her much mentally. She sees this as an opportunity to change herself. Though, I do know, it is not a good reason to go through with it, I feel she – and I – need it. No matter what you say, we are going to have this child. Is that all you needed?" Hello courage! It was true though. Even if I didn't want it, she would refuse to abort it.

"Fine, if I can't talk you out of it, let me help you. If there is anything at all you feel you need, just come to me. Please. I want to help you in anyway I can. For starters, I promise the full support of the NERV medical staff when she delivers. Do you understand?" that was amazing of her to offer.

"Y-yes. Thank you." I walked out of the room to see Asuka waiting for me outside.

"So?" barely a question, but I answered.

"I'll tell you later." She accepted this and we walked off. When we reached my room, out of habit, we both sat on my bed, "finally some good news. Ritsuko has our full support. She said that she will not tell Gendo and that when you deliver, the NERV hospital will do it all." She quivered at the last comment. Hell, I'd be scared too if I had to give birth.

"So… we're in the clear?" pretty much, yeah! "Good. Now, I never got to give you your birthday gift…" she leans in and our lips meet once again.

---

Same Place – The Next Day – Akagi's Office

"Ya know, I did think of something we kind of need. Well, it's more for us. Do you mind getting me a driving test? I need to get my license to be able to drive… so I was wondering…" she stood up and started to walk towards the door.

"Say no more, come on, I'll take you right now." That was easy. She was serious about helping us. I wonder why?

"Thank you… really. Asuka is thankful of you too," I talk as I enter MY car. This was… amazing! It was a Lotus Elise with leather seats! I still couldn't believe he bought this for me. Akagi started up the engine, it roared to life and we were off.

"You think you'll pass?" When we were about a mile away from the start, akagi spoke up.

"Not to sure. I think so, I mean, it really doesn't look that hard. If I can pilot Eva, then how hard could this be?" actually, the only experience I have with driving was in video games.

"You'll pass, no problem," not that I was too worried to begin with, but that calmed me slightly. If the doctor thought I was going to be able to do this, then I probably will. A couple of seconds later, we pulled up to the 'school'. The building – what was there at least, it was tiny – was all plain white. Behind the small place, I could see a huge driving course. "You ready?" I nod in anticipation and walked into the building. After spending about en minutes filling out a paper with my name, age, and other essentials, I got up to give it back to them. It was then that I realized that Akagi wasn't here. Was she waiting outside? All the better I guess, without her, there is no pressure.

"Okay, now that you're done with this, we'll just need $50.00 and you'll be ready," that much? I better pass! I hand over the money and the woman who was behind the counter came around to me. "Do you have a car? If not we can supply one," Oh, I have a car!

"Y-yeah, its outside," we both walk to where Ritsuko parked to see her leaning against it waiting for me. She got up and walked off.

"Good luck kid," she muttered while she walked past me.

"This… is your car?" the instructor was shocked.

"Um… yeah… can we start now?" not really in a mood to talk, I got into the car – the driver's side – and she got into the passenger's.

"Okay, just pull away from the parking-lot and head to the back," she pointed to and open fence leading behind the building. 'Here goes…' with a racing heart, I start it up. Slowly, I drive to the back. 'This isn't so hard.'

"Good, now, let's start," we spent the next hour doing simple maneuvers around the large lot. Nothing special, just parallel parking, a U-turn, and other I don't even know the name to. When we were done, she told me to drive back into the parking-lot, "Not bad. A few mistakes, but not bad," she hands me a piece of paper with notes jotted all over it, but at the bottom, one word was written. 'PASS'.

A/N- Okay, being 14, I obviously have no experience with driving or driving tests. Of any of you can tell me what exactly goes on at those tests, I'll really appreciate it.

"Thank you!" she laughs a little and gets out.

"Hey, you did well for your first time. Now, just take that to the front counter and they'll get your license." I leave and go back into the building to see Ritsuko sitting on one of the many chairs waiting for me.

"How'd you do?" she got up and took the paper from me, "I knew it! Cass owes me ten bucks!" they bet on me? And Cass bet against me! I'll get him back later. For now though, I walk up to another man standing behind the counter. This part didn't last too long, they just took my picture and gave me the piece of plastic.

"Can… I drive home?" I wanted to drive on a real road. She laughed a little and nodded. I got into the driver's side and we left.

---

Asuka's Room

"Where'd you go? You were gone for awhile," that's right! I forgot to tell her! She's going to kill me! I handed her my license and she smiles, "so that's where you were! So, how does it feel?" how did she think it felt?

"Great actually. I'm just happy that we don't have to take cabs anymore," she smiled a little, "what?"

"Take me somewhere," I should have seen that coming.

"Sure, where do you…" she cut me off.

"I don't really care. I just want to get out; I've been bored all day." How could I say no? No, really… how?

"Um… sure. How about the mall?" She just shrugs and starts to walk past me. We walk to the car and – this being her first time seeing it – nearly faints.

"T-this is your car! How the hell did you get it?" I never told her what Ritsuko gave to me, I wanted to see Asuka's reaction to this!

"Well… yeah. Gendo got it for me on my birthday." Her jaw dropped to the ground. I knew that was going to happen!

"Gendo as in your father? Damn! Well, let's go," she climbed into the car and so did I. after we got going, I proposed an offer.

"Ya know, Asuka, if you are willing to swallow your pride for a minute, you could ask Akagi for a car. Your birthday is coming up in about three months," yeah right, like she would put away her pride for a car.

"I'll think about it… but until then, you drive," I knew it. We got to the mall and headed inside. She pretty much guided the way like always, and truthfully, I liked it that way. Around six, we headed home – car full of clothes that she 'must have'. I wanted to point out that in a few months, probably her birthday, they wouldn't fit, but I decided against it. I didn't want to cross that bridge.

A/N- About friggin time he can drive! I was getting tired of always writing 'so I called a cab…'! Anyway, the next chapter will be a filler, but I think you'll like it. See what I mean in the next chapter; Hikari's Daughter, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	48. Hikari's Daughter

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Disclaimer- I do not own anything to do with NGE.

Chapter 48: Hikari's Daughter

Hikari's House – One Month Later

Hikari invited us over for lunch today, and we were sitting down at the table in an awkward silence. Asuka thought that she was starting to get a bigger stomach, but there was NO WAY anyone could notice. It just wasn't that much of a change, unless you knew that she was carrying a child, you wouldn't think twice about it. She stopped wearing her normal tight shirts and has drifted into more baggy clothing. Right now she was wearing a pair of jeans with a shirt about two sizes bigger then it needed to be.

"This is great food, thank you for inviting us…" I try to break the silence, but it was quickly shot down. No-one made a comment on it, and the silence went on. I hated this! I just tried to hurry up and eat so we could leave. Hikari said that she would go with us to the park where we were meeting Cass and Sam after lunch. By some miracle, her dad was okay with this. We finished eating and left without a word.

"Sorry… about my parents. They aren't really social people," we walked up to my car as she apologized.

"Don't worry about it. Have you met my father! I consider you lucky," and I did. She did have parents that loved her unconditionally. I mean, sure, I got a car, but only because Akagi convinced him to.

"Yeah, about that, do you mind doing me a favor?" this being a two-seat car, she had to squeeze in on the middle.

A/N- I know about the emergency brake and stuff, but I couldn't think of anything else.

"Sure, what is it?" she bows her head a little.

"Can you take my to this address? It's on the way, and I'll only be a minute. Please?" her eyes were full of sadness, so I agreed to it. When we got there, I saw a two-story house painted red. Hikari got out and knocked on the door. A woman came to the door and gave her a sweet smile. Hikari pointed to us and said something. The woman smiled again. "Shinji! Asuka! Come here!" we both got out of the car and walked up to her, "You know about my daughter? Well, would you like to see her?" Holy crap!

"Uh… s-sure…" we both say in unison. I was a little nervous; I could tell that she was using this as a warning of things that may come.

"Come on in, Hana's inside playing." Here goes… my heart is pounding.

"Thanks," did Hikari always act like this when she came to see her child? We walk in to see some toys with a three-year-old in the middle of the living room sitting down.

"Mommy!" the child got up and ran over to Hikari. I thought that it was weird for her to call Hikari mom, she did live with two other people that took care of her, so one would assume that the child would call THEM mom and dad. Apparently not.

"Hi honey," Hikari leaned down and hugged her, "this is Shinji and Asuka. They are friends of mine. Say hi."

"Hello!" she had brown hair and looked almost exactly like Hikari.

"This is Hana, my child," I can see that! I lean down to meet Hana at eye level.

"Hi there," this gets a smile from her. I didn't even realize that I was smiling too, but apparently I was.

"Hana, why don't you go play in your room?" the older woman spoke.

"Okay!" this was defiantly Hikari's child! I don't care if she never lived with Hikari a day in her life, the personality was clear.

"So, this is Shinji and Asuka?" she looks at Asuka, "Hmmm… what does seeing this make you think of?" what was she talking about? Did Hikari tell her?

"Well… I guess that it's pretty sweet of you to…" she cut Asuka off.

"Not that. I'm asking about the child. How do you feel about it?" Hikari did tell her!

"You mean Hana? I can definitely tell that it's Hikari's… but…" finally, Hikari cut in.

"Arina, what are you getting at?" wait… if Hikari didn't tell her… then who did? This had to be coming from somewhere.

"What I'm getting at is the young woman right here. Are you the father?" I nod slightly, "Well at least you stuck around. What were you two thinking?" how the hell did she know!

"I don't think that's any of your business!" Asuka was all red. I wasn't too sure if it was from being mad or embarrassed. I sure as hell know I was embarrassed!

"Look, all I'm asking is if you two think you're ready! I saw Hikari when she was pregnant, and it was NOT a pretty sight. She came to our door one day begging us to take Hana, and we accepted. I'm not saying I regret it by any means, but I think you will!" I've already had enough of this.

"We meet you and within a few minutes you're lecturing us? Screw this, we're leaving. Hikari, if you want a ride, I recommend you come to." I'm so pissed! Seriously, what the hell was her problem? As Asuka and I walk away, Hikari follows. I barely got in the car before we were driving. "Hikari, I thought you said you weren't going to tell anyone!" she did promise that.

"I swear, I didn't! I don't know how she knows!" I knew that to be true, but then how? Could it be that she could tell? There's no way! Even I forget about it sometimes.

"Whatever, I don't care. I'm not ashamed of it, and I won't ever be," that was a surprise comment coming from Asuka. We drove in silence the rest of the way. Hikari said that she just wanted to go home, and truthfully, so did I. We dropped her off and headed to the park. Once we got there, I saw Cass and Sam sitting down on a bench.

"Hey! Cass! Sam!" they both get up and walk towards us. We get out of the car and meet them halfway.

"Hey… what's wrong?" was the expression on my face that obvious? I didn't want to explain what happened, so I avoided it.

"Nothing," that was obviously a lie, and everyone knew it, "why did you need us to come here?" come to think of it, they never said why exactly, and of course, I didn't think to ask.

"Just to be together, we haven't had much time together lately." It was true. Ever since the party, we have barely had a conversation with them. In fact, I haven't talked to either of them in two days.

"Sounds good to me," maybe I could use this to relax a little. I did need a stress reliever right now.

A/N- Told you that it was a filler. Time jump for the next chapter, about a month and a half to Asuka's birthday. I'm really not going to make a big deal about it, and you'll know why soon enough! Find out in the next chapter; Another, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	49. Another?

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Disclaimer- I do not own anything to do with NGE.

Chapter 49: Another?

Asuka's Room

Asuka didn't really want a big party due to her thinking that she is 'fat'. I knew that this was going to happen! I couldn't even tell that she was pregnant! If she thought that it was bad now, wait until month seven! A few people still sent gifts though. She got many clothes, but Hikari sent clothes for a baby with the same note written on it as mine. I got her two gifts, one was car – I was the one that convinced Akagi for it – and a repeat of what she did to me for my birthday.

"I still can't believe Gendo got me a car too!" she now has a red van, which I was fairly surprised that she liked. Normally, she would hate things like this.

"Yeah, me too. So, I know that this wasn't much of a birthday for you, but I did do something that might make up for it," I walk over to the fridge and pull out a well-hidden cake. She baked for me on my birthday, so I thought I should do the same. It was a small one with white frosting.

"Shinji, I told you that you didn't have to… but thanks…" I hand her a slice and just then, Akagi came over the intercom.

"All pilots please report to my office immediately. Thank you." Damnit! I've heard that tone of voice before.

"Ugh… fine…" Asuka gets up and starts to walk towards the door, so I follow. We make our way to her office and see her with another kid. I knew it! The child was about our age, taller than Cass, and appeared to be African. Cass and Sam were already in there.

"Meet your new co-pilot, Gahiji Mugabe. He is from central Africa, he is twelve, and he will be living with Shinji from now on." He was only twelve! She seemed to be really forward with this one. The boy puts out his hand.

"Nice to meet you all. Like she said, I'm Gahiji," he had a strong African accent. A huge smile was painted on his face. What I never understood is that how did all pilots learn Japanese so fast? I swear, they're all prodigies!

"Hey, I'm Shinji, this is Asuka, that is Cass, and this is Sam," might as well make a good first impression. He did seem nice.

"Let's see if I can get this right, Samantha Simmons," he points to Sam, "Fifteen, American, pilot of Unit 06, and the sixth child. Shinji Ikari," he points to me, "Sixteen, Japanese, pilot of Unit 01, and the third child." He points to Cass.

"Whoa! Hold on! Don't say my name! Just call me Cass!" wonder why he was so picky about his name.

"Fine, 'Cass', Seventeen, German, pilot of Unit 05, and the fifth child. Asuka Langley Souryu," he points to Asuka, he's pretty good! "Fifteen, oh wait… sorry sixteen, – happy birthday – German, Pilot of Unit 02, and the second child." That was pretty impressive.

"Wow… looks like you did your homework. Here, I'll show you to your room," just like I did with Cass, I brought him to my room.

"So, this is where I'll be living. Not bad," he set down his bags and walked over to a bed… but it wasn't mine. NERV had already brought a bed in? That was fast.

"So, we have a sync test tomorrow, any idea what your score will be? Last time they checked me I was at an 82," not bad… but I was better. Hello ego!

"An 82? Not bad, I've got an 89. So, one question; why are you piloting at such a young age? I mean, I didn't even enter an Eva until I was fourteen," he shrugged. That was a stupid question, how was he supposed to know?

"Dunno, I guess they just liked my profile or something. They did have another pilot lined up to come here, but he quit or something. Anyway, I was wondering, why is it that they brought me in with only one sin left? I read up on them a little, but none of them looked exceptionally strong. Do you know?" If I only did…

"No, no I don't. NERV is a weird bunch, so I'm sure they have there reasons. Just make yourself at home," he got up and started to unpack all of his clothes and putting them into a new dresser NERV had apparently put in here when I was gone. Suddenly, an alarm went blaring.

"So, Lust finally came around…" I mutter as I walk away. Gahiji soon followed.

---

In The Evas

I look over at Gahiji's Eva while NERV prepped us. It was a medium sized machine with a jet-black finish. The eyes were red, in fact, it resembled Wrath almost exactly. The only difference was the back, where – on Unit 07 – two spikes shot out of the shoulder blades. Soon, we were launched onto the surface. When I was up there, I saw that Asuka was here too.

"Whoa! Wait, why is Asuka here!" she was in no condition to pilot! Sure, she wasn't deep into pregnancy, but still!

"Why are you asking? To fight." Crap! Gendo was listening! I couldn't do anything for now, all o could do is try to have her stay on the sidelines.

"Uh… never mind… where is the sin?" trying to avoid conflict, I change the subject.

"We're not to sure that it is Lust, in fact, they look like Evas…" they? There was more than one of them? Just then, at least ten white Evas appeared on the horizon.

"What the hell are those things!" Gahiji was just as surprised as I was. They were all white, except for a few red lines tracing the body. They all had a mouth that extended all the way up their long heads.

"SEELE…" what the hell was SEELE! Akagi wasn't making sense.

A/N- I know that there wasn't too much character development here, but there will be. A special thanks to **dark lancer** from GameFAQs for giving me the name and origin of Gahiji. Will the children be able to fight off these new Evas? Why were they attacking in the first place? Find out in the next chapter; Eaten, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	50. Eaten

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Disclaimer- I do not own anything to do with NGE.

Chapter 50: Eaten

A/N- Yes! Fifty Chapters! You want to know the best part? I have enough ideas to make at least fifty more! I already know how this story is going to end…

"What are you talking about? What is SEELE?" Asuka finally spoke up.

"Forget it. Engage the target!" Of course Gendo didn't want to explain himself. He will tell us later, I'll make sure of it.

"If you say so!" Gahiji started to run towards the monsters, while he ran, he put both hands on the spikes on his back and pulled them out. Turns out that they are twin-blades, even I had to admit, that was pretty cool. He jumped on top of one of the Eva's shoulders, then leaped off again… taking the head with it. The decapitated Eva stood still before starting to move again, "Ah! The hell?" a few seconds later, a pile of flesh popped out of its neck, then formed a head.

"What… how… how are supposed to beat something that can do that!" Sam was right, if these things can regenerate, how WILL we win? Wait… I think I have an idea.

"Hey! We have to all attack one at once, tear it apart! Don't leave one piece still in tact!" they all followed my order and all at once, we all landed on the newly regenerated Eva. I just tore at it randomly, others used a knife, Asuka just stood back. Soon, parts of this white monster littered the streets.

"I… think its dead…" Akagi was disgusted at what we just did, but it did work.

"It sure as hell better be!" Asuka was still on the side lines, just as I had hoped.

"Asuka! Move!" Asuka turned to my warning to see one of the white Evas. It grabbed her and jumped into the air. While in free fall, it sprouted wings of light and flew off. The Eva flew over to the others and dropped her. "Asuka! Run!" she tried to get up, but was struck down. All of the white Evas gathered around her, then an ear-piercing scream came from her.

"Ah crap!" Gahiji drew his blades again and ran towards her. One of the Evas popped up and kicked him away. I noticed that the Eva's mouth was covered in blood.

"There eating her! There eating Asuka!" Cass was now running to them, and I joined him. we both got over to them and pulled at their limbs, ripping a few off. I got a quick glimpse of Unit 02; all of its armor was torn off, now showing a bare, bloody under-shell. The limbs we tore off grew back quickly, and then we were knocked away.

"That won't work!" Gendo was the king of the obvious! Sam grabbed an SMG and fired away at the group. For once, they backed off. A few of them had limbs in their mouths, while others had blood leaking from the mouth. But one in particular caught my eye, it had the entry plug! I ran full speed to it and tacked it. After grabbing the plug, I threw it into a nearby lake. She should be safe there.

"Your mine!" I tear at it until – just like before – nothing was left. "Akagi! Is Asuka okay!" I was really worried now.

"Yeah, she's fine, just a little shaken up. Keep on fighting!" so we all did. Each of us took one Eva and tore them up pretty easily. Now there were only four left, and I thought it would be pretty easy, but of course, nothing is ever easy. The remaining four gathered together, linked arms, and charged at us. At first, it just seemed like a simple game of red-rover, but when they got close to us, a blinding light came.

"Ah! I can't see!" We were literally fighting blind now. I felt a few punches being thrown at me.

"Oh grow up!" Of course Sam was okay! She was still fighting one of them with ease! I tried to fight back, but it was really useless. I threw a punch, but then I felt a tight grip on my extended arm.

"Shinji! Get out of there!" soon I realized that it was biting me. I felt a striking pain, and my arm went limp. It tore my arm off! How are we going to beat these things?

"Sam! Any pointers would really be appreciated!" Cass was obviously fighting one to, and obviously getting beat.

"Yeah, don't get eaten! Look, just move like water, keep your movements unpredictable. It's easy!" I try it, and it actually works! I didn't get hit for awhile, and I even landed a few punches. Soon I found myself on top of it, once again tearing at it. Now there was only three left. I couldn't help anyone else simply because I couldn't find them!

"Okay, got him!" sounds like Cass was done with his. Gahiji was still fighting, but it sounded like he was winning.

"You're taking too long! Move!" Sam cut in and finished it off within seconds.

"There, we're done, now how do we get back?" I was still blinded and I had no idea how to get back to NERV.

"Just eject, we'll get the Evas later," following Akagi's orders, we eject. A few hours later, they retrieved us and we were all sent to the hospital.

---

NERV Hospital – 6:00

"I don't even know why I'm here, I can see now! Is anyone listening?" obviously not. I was in a room with an unconscious Asuka in the bed next to mine. She was okay and – as Ritsuko said – so was the baby. I had been in here for an hour now, excluding the time I was asleep. I heard Asuka stir in her bed, "You awake?"

"Uh… huh…" at least she could talk.

"How do you feel? You were beat up pretty bad," she slowly opened her eyes half-way and looked at me.

"I feel… like crap… you?" there's Asuka! Sarcastic even after that happened.

"Heh… not exactly great, but okay. Do you remember what happened?" she shook her head, "All the better. Try to get some rest, looks like we're both going to be in here for awhile." She closed her eyes again and drifted off to sleep. A couple of minutes later, Ritsuko walked in.

"Hey Shinji. How do you feel? Can you see yet?" Did she not just hear me yelling!

"Yeah, I can. Can I go now?" she shook her head, "Why not!"

"Because I need to talk with you. Today was too close. Asuka could have easily lost the baby. We need to tell Gendo, even if he does freak out. If he knows, I'm sure that he will put her on suspension, and this won't happen again. Sure, the baby is fine now, but what about next time?" she was right, but how could we tell him?

"Fine… but how will we do it? I mean, he's not the easiest person to talk to," she shrugs.

"Dunno, I guess just go up to him and spill it. Just be up-front with him. 'I got Asuka pregnant. She can't pilot anymore.' Sounds pretty good to me," that sounded good!

"Well… if there's no other way, fine. Okay, now that we've got that established, can I go NOW?" once again, she shakes her head.

"No, you're still recovering. If you don't believe me, try to move the arm that got bit off," I try and see that I can't move it, "don't worry, you're not paralyzed. Just relax and you should have control over it by tomorrow." I sigh as she walks out of the room. I try to get some sleep, but I find it extremely hard to do so after what she just got done saying. What if Asuka had lost it? I don't know what I would have done. I push those thoughts out of my mind and TRY to relax, but my mind kept on drifting back to what Gendo said about SEELE. What was it? Why did they attack us? I had to remember to ask him.

A/N- There you go, the entrance of SEELE. Expect a LOT more appearances of them. Do you think Gendo will agree to Shinji's request? When will SEELE make another appearance? Find out in the next chapter; You're Kidding, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	51. You're Kidding!

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Disclaimer- I do not own anything to do with NGE.

Chapter 51: You're Kidding!

Asuka's Room

"I could have WHAT!" I just told Asuka about the baby… and she's not taking it well, "Shinji, are you serious? Well screw that! I'm not piloting until I give birth!" That was a huge surprise. She always took great pride in piloting Eva, and now she won't do it simple for the safety of her child. She really is turning into a mother.

"Don't worry, you won't have to. I'm going to talk to Gendo right now." Oops. I didn't mean to say that!

"You're what! You're seriously going to tell him? Well, it was nice knowin' ya!" even though that did make me laugh, she was right. Gendo was going to kill me, but I had to do this.

"Heh… you too," I walk off, headed to Gendo's office. I try to walk as slow as possible, but I made it there eventually. I knock on his door softly, but of course, he heard me. "Ah crap…" I mutter my last words before I open the door.

"What is it?" I hated that voice; that empty, lonely voice.

"I needed to talk with you about something," I wait for him to answer.

"Yes?" Ugh, I DID NOT want to do this.

"Okay, your remember what happened to Asuka during the last attack?" he nods slightly, "Well, she can't fight anymore." He raised an eyebrow, then stood up.

"Doctor Akagi said that Asuka has already been released, now may I ask why one of my best pilots can't fight?" sarcasm, just one more feature that enhanced my father's cold spirit.

"Let me rephrase that, she WON'T pilot. She is in no condition to do so. We wouldn't want to hurt my child, now would we?" not exactly how I wanted to tell him, but I got the reaction I was looking for.

"Are you saying…" I cut him off.

"Yes, yes I am." He stood up calmly, and then placed a hand on my shoulder, "Don't touch me," that was a strong enough voice for him to back off.

"Looks like my son has become a man. I can see where you are coming from, but Asuka will continue to pilot. She will pilot until all of the threats are gone, and I will stand by that." Was he serious?

"You're kidding! She's pregnant, do you understand that? She almost lost the child in her last battle; I can't risk having her battle again!" he laughs a little, "What the hell are you laughing at!" I can't believe he's laughing!

"Nothing… just at the fact that she doesn't have a choice. You both signed a contract, and I will hold you both to it. If that is all, you can leave now," like hell that was it!

"Listen to me you bastard! She will NOT pilot! I won't lose my child just because of your stubbornness!" My child… I'm just now realizing that.

"Like I said, you can leave now," he sat back down and went back to his work.

"Hey! I'm talking to you!" a few seconds of silence followed, "Is that it? Is that how you're going to act? You do realize that this baby is YOUR grandchild, don't you? Would you honestly kill it?" more silence, "You're sick!" my anger took over, and I threw a fist at his cheek. His head was turned to the side for awhile before looking at me again.

"Is that it? I have work to do." He had a bloody cheek, and he was thinking about work?

"She will not pilot, even if it means me killing you!" this caught his attention. Finally. Truthfully, even I was surprised at my comment… but I knew it to be true.

"There is nothing in the world you can do to intimidate me. Now leave… now." I knew that there was nothing further to be said, so – with great regret – I walk off. "That's a good boy…" that sent me over the edge.

"You son of a bitch!" I lunge at the sitting man, and blindly throw punches at his face. Akagi walked in at this time, and pulled me off. I saw Gendo simply get up and brush himself off. She dragged me out of the room. I was surprised at how strong she was.

"Shinji! Calm down!" I try to.

"Asuka will not pilot! You hear me!" I was still yelling at him.

"Shinji!" I got a quick slap, and quickly settled down. I look up at her with teary eyes. Ritsuko understood the origin of these tears, and embraced me in a tight hug. "I'm so sorry Shinji… I'll find a way…"

A/N- I know, a very short chapter, but I felt I ended it at the right time. How will the parents handle this? Will Asuka have to pilot before giving birth? Sorry, but another time-skip will be happening in the next chapter, about two-and-a-half months. The next chapter will be quite exciting in my opinion. See what happens in the next chapter; Noticeable, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	52. Noticeable

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Disclaimer- I do not own anything to do with NGE.

Chapter 52: Noticeable

Locker Room – 2 ½ Months Later – 3:00

We were all getting ready for yet another sync test. I was the only one in the boy's locker room; mainly because I slept in about one hour. The hole that Asuka made in the wall has been repaired, but I was still able to hear Asuka and Sam talk.

"I don't want to! I can't believe I have to wear this!" in the last week, it has become noticeable that Asuka was pregnant, and she didn't want to wear the skin-tight plug-suit, "Oh God! I am NOT leaving this room!" sounds like she just got a look at herself.

"Asuka, you have to. Just ignore everyone else and go out," Sam was trying to help her… trying.

"Easy for you to say! You don't have this!" that last part made me laugh a little. I walked out of the locker room and waited outside the girl's room. "I'm not going out there! Don't touch me! Ah crap!" the door then swung open – slamming me in the face – to reveal Sam pushing her outside. "Serves you right for listening!" I got up and looked at her… it was apparent. In normal clothes, there would have been no way of telling, but in this skin-tight piece, it was obvious. Her normally slender body was… well, it was still slender aside from her stomach. The only problem with her small body structure was that it made the baby unavoidable.

"Uh… hi, Asuka…" she just gave me a glare and started to rant again.

"You did this to me! This is all your fault!" it takes two to tango! She's acting like I did it by myself!

"Whoa! Back up! I did this? You were the one that pulled…. never mind," almost crossed dangerous ground right there.

"Just forget it!" with a 'hmph', she walked away. Sam and I soon followed. On the way there, Asuka had her arms wrapped around her stomach, but it was apparent. Some of the lesser NERV employees almost fainted, while others seemed to try to ignore it. We finally reached our Evas, Gahiji and Cass were already testing, so we just joined them.

"So Ms. Souryu, how do you feel?" Looks like Gendo had a funny bone now. I did get back at him though; a week later after our fight, I punched him again, this time leaving a long scar crossing his face.

"How the hell do you think I feel! Let's just get this over with!" I think I heard a chuckle coming from Gendo, but I wasn't sure.

"Um… okay… well, Shinji has a 92, Cass has an 83, Sam has an 85, Gahiji has a 78, and Asuka has a 90. Okay kids, we're done here. You can leave now," Asuka leaped out of her entry plug and ran all the way to the locker room. Turn out she's a fast runner.

---

Asuka's Room – One Hour Later

I slowly walked up to Asuka's room, knowing that she was not exactly having a perfect day.

"Asuka? Can I come in?" I heard a faint 'yeah' in the backround, so I walk in to see her face down on her bed. "Asuka? Are you… okay?" I sit down next to her and put a hand on her back.

"I… hate this…" really? Because I couldn't tell earlier today! I wasn't going to say that though…

"Think of it this way, you're more than half-way there. Only four more months and you'll be back to normal," she lifted up her head and looked at me. She wasn't crying, and it didn't seem like she was going to. The face she had was of pure annoyance.

"It's not… that I don't want the baby, I do, I just hate looking like this!" I knew that this was going to be an issue.

"Well I think you look fine. Don't worry about it, just try and hold out for a little longer," she did look okay for being five months pregnant, but it didn't help.

"I know you're lying. Just forget it… you're right, I only have four more months. After that, we can hold our baby…" that caught me off guard! I knew that it was true, but the way she presented it was odd.

"Um… yeah…" I knew I was blushing.

"You're too easy! Thanks, I do feel better now. I'm going to get something to eat, you hungry?" she got up and headed for the door. I could tell that she was lying about feeling better, but I let it go.

"S-sure," I followed her.

---

Cafeteria

We were ordering our food while Cass, Gahiji and Sam had already taken a table. They didn't exactly have the best foods for a pregnant woman, but Asuka wouldn't let me cook for her. Pride has always been an issue for her.

"I'll take the chicken, thanks," She was ordering the only eatable looking thing on the menu, and so did I. I didn't really want to know what the surprise was in the meat surprise. We walked over and sat down at the table they saved for us.

"So… uh… okay, I have to ask," Gahiji had a fearful look on his face, "sorry if I'm being rude, but… are you… pregnant?" Damn! I forgot to tell him!

"Well duh! Do ya think? Damn, what did you think happened, a beer-belly? Come on! Use your head!" I knew that was going to happen!

"S-sorry… I didn't mean to insult you…" how was that an insult? Asuka dropped it and began to eat. When she was done – which was about five minutes before everyone else – she spoke up.

"I'm still hungry… I'm going to get some more food, be right back." I forgot about the fact that she was eating for two now. She came back and damn near inhaled her chicken sandwich. "There we go!" she was actually being funny. By the time she had eaten two lunches, all of us were just finishing. She leaned over to me and whispered in my ear when I was done, "Meet me in my room when you leave, I need to talk with you," I nod slightly and get up to take all of our trays to the garbage. When I turned back around, Asuka was already gone. I go back over to sit with Cass, Sam, and Gahiji.

"Hey, Cass, I saw this thing on the news today. It said something about Germany and the UK having some troubles. They said that war might be in the near future." What channel was Sam watching!

"Yeah, I don't worry about it too much. For one, I doubt that war would happen in the first place, and even if it did, I'd be fine. I'm not a part of the army anymore, I was drafted here to work at NERV, so it doesn't really concern me." He seemed confident. He was right though, there was no way Germany would take him from fighting for the sake of humanity!

"Yeah, you're right. As long as you don't leave, I'm fine," Sam took hold of his arm, making his face turn beat red.

"Uh… thanks…" seemed like it was about time for me to leave.

"See ya, I gotta talk to Akagi," they all nodded and I was off to 'Akagi's office'. When I got to Asuka's room, instead of knocking, - like an idiot – I just walk in.

"Hey! Get out!" looked like she was just getting out of the shower. I run back out and close the door. I waited a few minutes until she finally speaks up, "You can come in now! Next time, try knocking!" I slowly walk inside to see her dressed this time.

"You said you needed to talk with me?" she nods.

"Yeah, I've been thinking, what should we name the baby?" come to think of it, I had no idea.

"Well, I hadn't really thought about it. Do you have any ideas?" she sits down on her bed and invites me over.

"Yeah, I do. I was thinking that – if it's a boy – you name it, and if it's a girl, I name it. Sound good?" seemed a little childish to me.

"Don't you think we should both have a say in it despite the sex?" It just didn't feel right to not have a say. This should be a thing we work together on, not to split up.

"I guess… yeah, I guess you're right. If you don't have any names, I'll give you my ideas. If it turns out to be a girl, I was thinking either Dietlinde or Henrietta if it's a girl, or Hiroshi or Benito if it's a boy." Should have seen that coming. German names for a girl and Japanese names fro the boy. I had to admit, I was fond of Dietlinde. It just sounded strong.

"Not bad, I kind of like Dietlinde for the girl. I'm not too sure on either of the boy's names though. How about something simple like Nao? I kind of like that." She smiled a little.

"Yeah, me too. So, it's Dietlinde for a girl and Nao for a boy?" I liked those names.

"Sounds good to me. I'm kind of excited about this, how about you?" she smiled again. Of course she was excited; we are going to be parents soon!

"Excited about the baby, yes. But actually HAVING the baby scars me shitless. Everyone that has ever had a child said no pain would ever match it, and I'm afraid of it," Asuka admitting to be scared? That hasn't happened in a long time.

"Don't worry about it; you're the strongest person I know. Plus, I'll be there for you…" she cut me off.

"Like hell you will be! There is no way you're going to be in the delivery room with me! You think I want you to be watching me like that? I can barely stand having the doctors there, let alone you!" she probably just didn't want me to see her in such a weak state.

"Well… if you don't want me to, I won't. Are you sure though?" she nods, "Okay, if you say so."

"I do say so! Now drop it, you're freaking me out!" she was right, it was supposed to be extremely painful. Hell, I'd be scared too!

"Sorry, I'm going back to my room, you need anything?" She shakes her head so I just leave. Back in my room, I saw Gahiji playing some video game on TV.

"Hey, took you long enough. You wanna play? Here, grab a controller." I haven't relaxed in awhile, might as well. I thought that it was kind of ironic that the game was about giant robots fighting each other. I happened to notice that all of the characters looked exactly like the Evas, down to the bio on them.

"Hey… where did you get this game? What's it called?" I just thought that it was kind of odd to have my Eva in here.

"Some store about a mile from here, and it's called Neon Genesis Evangelion. I'm not too sure what it means, but I saw the word Evangelion so I picked it up. Apparently people made a video game about us." Sounded pretty cool to me.

A/N- … shut-up…

"Guess I'll pick my Eva…" Damn! It even had me as the pilot! I should be getting some money off of this! We just play the game – I won every time! – until we went go to bed… well, until HE goes to bed. I was up all night thinking about the baby, what would it look like? Would it be a boy or a girl? I didn't really care, as long as I got to hold it in my arms.

A/N- Awww! Shinji's finally sounding like a parent! The next chapter will be sad… very sad. See what I mean in the next chapter; Private Down, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	53. Private Down

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Disclaimer- I do not own anything to do with NGE.

Chapter 53: Private Down

NERV – One Week Later – Cass / Sam's Room – 10:00 PM

I was in Cass's room just talking while Sam was in Asuka's room.

"So, you guys decided on a name yet?" he suddenly asks the question I have been dreading. I'm not to sure why, but I hated to talk about my child. I wasn't too sure if it was because of the fact that it wasn't born yet, or if I was just embarrassed.

"Well… kinda. If it's a boy, we'll name it Nao, and if it's a girl we'll name it Dietlinde. We both thought that one should be German and one is Japanese," in a way, I was hoping for a girl.

"Not bad, I like Nao. Reminds me of an old friend…" that was… odd. Cass never talked about his past. Just then, someone knocked on the door, "It's open!" the door slides open to reveal a tall man in an army uniform. Cass leaps up and salutes.

"Are you Private Sonnenschein?" the man was obviously having trouble speaking Japanese.

"_Yes sir._" Cass was now speaking German. I was able to understand a little due to Asuka occasionally speaking it to me.

"_Good, this is for you,_" the man hands Cass a letter. He opens it and goes wide eyed.

"_But… why? I'm an Eva pilot now, not a soldier! I thought that was established before!_" Cass sounded angry now. He has lost his salute and is now yelling.

"_Private Sonnenschein! Calm down! This is not my order, it falls under the rule of the German Government! You are scheduled to leave tomorrow, be ready at o-four-hundred hours! That is all._" With that, the man walked off, leaving Cass standing there with the letter in his hands.

"Cass? What… happened?" he slugged over to his bed and fell on his back.

"War just broke out in Germany…"

---

Ten Minutes Later – Gendo's Office

Cass was talking to Gendo about the war, and I was listening in.

"I'm sorry, we can't do anything. Germany still is in control of you, therefore able to do what they feel is necessary. I suggest you say you're good-byes and get ready. That will be all," so cold.

"But… I can't… please! Do something!" Gendo kept quiet, "So you're just going to let it happen? Fine. I don't need this piece of shit you call NERV, and I don't need your sorry ass!" the door swings open, and I was barely able to dodge it, "You tell anyone and you WILL regret it Ikari." Was he threatening me?

"I… but…" he walked off before I could speak. Was he really leaving? How could they make him do that? I followed him to his room. Thank God Sam wasn't in there, he was not exactly in a good mood. I heard him start to pull open closets and shove clothes into bags.

"Six hours…" I heard him mutter. I had to tell Sam, he couldn't just leave without saying good-bye. I run to Asuka's room and see her chatting with Sam.

"Cass… he's…" I was so out of breath, I couldn't even talk.

"What? Come on! Spit it out!" Asuka seemed annoyed.

"Cass… is being… transferred," I finally caught my breath, "a few minutes ago, a man from Germany came. War has broken out in Germany and they're going to send him to fight! He's leaving in six hours!" silence lasted for what seemed like an eternity.

"Shinji… are you joking?" Sam had a ghost-white face. I nodded and she jetted out of the room. I chased after her and found that she was back in her room.

"Oh, hey Sa… what the hell are you doing?" Sam had embraced him in a tight hug.

"Don't leave! Please, don't leave!" she was crying into his stomach. Cass looked up at me and gave me a glare that would kill even Asuka.

"I told you not to say anything!" he pushed her away and came for me.

"Whoa! Cass, calm down! I…" he cut me off with a swift jab to the stomach. I fell to the floor in pain.

"I warned your ass!" he kicked me in the shoulder, then in my ribs. Asuka came running in and damn near tackled him.

"What the hell is your problem! I don't care what he did; it doesn't give you the right to…" Asuka was pushed off of him.

"Just back the fuck off! Screw this!" he walked over and grabbed a hold of his newly packed suitcase and left. I slowly got to my feet, and saw that I was bleeding pretty badly on my shoulder.

"Shinji! Ah crap!" Asuka came over to me and put my arm around her for support. I tried to move the bloody arm, but when I did pain shot through my body. Great, now I have a broken arm! What the hell was his problem?

"I'm… fine…" like hell I was.

"Cass…" I saw that Sam had a steady stream of tears rolling down her face.

---

Sam's Room – One Month Later – 9:00 PM

One month has passed since Cass left us. My arm has healed – it just turned out to be dislocated – aside from a long scar running down my shoulder-blade. We haven't gotten any calls, any letters, or any word on Cass. In fact, we didn't even know if he was alive. We were all gathered around the television watching the status on the war between Germany and the UK.

"An entire battalion was wiped out today by the United Kingdom's forces. The brave men were killed by an air strike, and died instantly. May we please have a moment of silence for these brave solders…" the screen then started to show the list of names of the men that died. Sam Asuka read over them carefully, but then realized she didn't even know his name. Neither Gahiji nor I told if his name appeared.

"Just tell us! Come on!" Sam was in tears at this point. We both shake our head, "Please! Shinji! I need to know!" I couldn't stand to see her like this.

"His name… was on the list…" she broke out crying. I go over and hug her, trying to calm her down. I thought that I saw a tear or two in Asuka's eye, but I wasn't too sure. Sam threw her head onto my chest and cried without restraint. She was hysterical, and I couldn't blame her.

"Cass! Oh my God!" she was yelling into my shirt. By now there was a large wet spot on the fabric. Asuka just stared at her friend. I put a hand on Sam's back, trying to comfort her, but at this point, there was no calming her down.

"Sam… I'm so sorry…" I tried to talk to her, but I was sure I wasn't getting through. I motion Asuka and Gahiji to leave, and they do without a word. I pick the crying girl up and set her down on the bed.

"Shin… ji…" I've never seen anyone so sad. I just couldn't leave her. I lie down next to her and cradle her. Soon, the crying stopped and she was asleep. I tried to get up, but when I did, she threw an arm around me. Looks like I'm here for the night. I hope Asuka didn't see this.

---

Same Place – 3:00 AM

"Shinji… have you no shame? Wasn't getting Asuka pregnant enough?" I woke up to see Gendo standing in front of the bed, "Get up. Now." I would if I could!

"I… can't…" I try to get up, but once again Sam holds on tight to me.

"I don't care if you're naked or not! Get up now!" I wasn't having sex with her!

"I'm not naked! See?" I rip off the sheets, "Sam was extremely upset about the loss of Cass, so I tried to comfort her. now, what did you want?" I was in no mood to be lectured.

"I apologize," Gendo was apologizing! "I jumped to conclusions. Now, I needed to ask you something; in Cass's will, he requested to be buried here in Japan. What I need to know is if you are willing to arrange this." Why did he want me to do it?

"S-sure… I'd really like that…" then he just left. So now I had to put together a funeral… just great. Like I didn't have enough on my plate. It's not that I didn't want to – I did – it's just that I had no idea on how to do it. "I'll have to ask around…"

A/N- Sorry… but don't worry, I'll make up for it. Just so there is no confusion, Cass is dead. How will Sam handle this? What will the funeral be like? Find out in the next chapter; Planning, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	54. Planning

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Disclaimer- I do not own anything to do with NGE.

Chapter 54: Planning

NERV – Akagi's Office – That Morning

"I'm just not too sure on how to go about doing this, so was wondering if you could help." I had no idea on how to do this, so I was asking Akagi about it.

"Well, for starters, you're going to need a casket. I know that his body wasn't found, but we can fill it with his belongings like we did for Sam's grave. I know a place we can go to for it. We will also need a priest, a few dozen flowers, and obviously a grave. Most of that we can just go out and buy. Remember, money is no object, NERV is paying for all of this, so don't worry about it." NERV was paying for it?

"Um… okay… thanks. I just needed a few pointers, I can do the rest by myself." I didn't need her to do anything; I just needed a place to start.

"You sure? I can help if you want me to," I shake my head.

"No thanks, I think I need to do this on my own." I felt that this was supposed to be my responsibility, and not anyone else's. I walked out of the room to find Sam waiting for me. "Oh… hi Sam. You need something?"

"Let me come with you. Please, I want to help with this." I wasn't too sure about it, but her eyes were too much for me.

"Uh… sure, if you want to. I'm going to get a casket right now. I'll let you pick it out, okay?" she nods and we head off to my car.

---

Funeral Home – 12:00

The car ride here was terrible. Not a word was said, and I could tell that Sam was one step away from crying at any moment. As we entered the front doors, we saw a room filled with flowers, caskets, frames, and all other funeral necessities.

"This is not club house! Get out, we have real costumers!" A man wearing all black came up to us and started to push us out.

"Hey! What the hell? We ARE costumers! Get your hands off of me!" I whip around and flash my NERV ID.

"Oh! I'm so sorry! What can I do for you?" he had a weak smile on.

"Well, for one, treat us with some respect!" he bows his head, "Forget it… look we need to plan a funeral, and…" He popped up and began to talk.

"Well then, you've come to the right place!" he sounded more like a car-salesman than anything, "If you would come with me I'll show you the plans we offer!" I didn't like how this guy acted about this. We followed him into a small room and sat down. The man took out a few three-ring binders and opened one of them.

"Okay, to start, my name is Benito," he puts out his hand, and neither of us takes it, "well… okay… anyway, we have a lot of different kinds of plans to choose from. If I may ask, is this for a child or an adult?" now I was able to talk with this asshole.

"A child. He was the Fifth Child, and the pilot of Unit 05," his eyes went wide.

"He's dead! But… he was the best fighter NERV had to offer! We're so screwed!" we both glared at him.

"For one, he was more than just a pilot. And two, thanks for the support. Can we just get on with this?" I was really getting pissed.

"S-sorry. Well, we do have a plan that should work fine. It covers the casket, ten dozen flowers, – your choice of color – a grave in any cemetery in Japan, and a priest. The total would come out to be about 500000 Yen. Sound good? If not, we do have others that…" I cut him off.

"That's fine. Can it be scheduled to be done by month's end?" Sam was finally talking.

"Of course! Now, I'll just need your signature and we'll be done here!" I take the paper from him and sign, "Now I'll just need a check for the money and then," I flash my NERV ID again.

"It is all being paid for by NERV. Just wire the money to them. Thanks for all your help," he just sits there.

"I've been ripped off by the government… again…" I heard him mutter. I felt that Sam was starting to get a LITTLE better. She was actually talking today, and I haven't seen one tear.

"Thank you… Shinji…" I turn to see a small yet apparent smile crossing her face. I just smile back and get into the car. "So… um… only three more months…" what was she… wow. That was unexpected.

"Um… yeah. Don't tell her, but I can tell without even looking at her!" Sam giggled a little. But seriously, Asuka has been pissed at everything lately! I don't think I can take it for three more months!

"She'd kill you if she heard you…" Sam's voice was still bland and distasteful. No emotion, no feeling, it was worse than Rei's. I just wasn't able to relate to what she was feeling.

"I know…" I drive back to NERV.

---

NERV – Asuka's Room – 4:00

"What the hell do you want!" apparently, I wasn't allowed to knock on her door anymore. She has been having tantrums lately, which was expected, but I felt that she was going into a depression. In the last month, she has become more reclusive, but I just thought it was because of Cass's death. I tried not to let it affect me too much.

"C-can I come in?" I'm entering the dragon's lair here!

"Do whatever you want!" I slowly open the door to see her lying on her back on the bed. Wow… she was getting quite the stomach. I hadn't noticed that, "You need something or what?" damn, I can't wait till she's done!

"Um… yeah, me and Sam just got done planning Cass's funeral. It'll be next month, and I just wanted to know if you were going," I knew she was, but better safe then sorry.

"Well of course! I won't just forget about him!" should have just assumed.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to…" she cut me off.

"Don't apologize! You didn't do anything…!" I didn't? "Sorry… just having a bad day… I didn't mean to blow up like that." That's the Asuka I know!

"Can I do anything for you?" she puts a pillow over her head before nodding.

"A bullet to the head!" I heard her mutter under the pillow. I couldn't help but chuckle at this comment. "I'm serious…" that wasn't even funny. I go over and sit next to her.

"Don't even joke about that… really…" I didn't like the thought at all.

"No… joke…" okay, she was seriously creeping me out now.

"Asuka?" she takes off the pillow to reveal an obviously fake smile.

"Gotcha…" she gets up and heads to the bathroom. I didn't like how she was acting, so I decided to do some snooping around. Nothing under the bed, nothing in the closet, nothing in the dresser, but when I looked just under the sheets of her bed, my heart sank. "Hey Shinji, I… what are you doing?"

"What the hell is this? What were you about to do!" I held in my hand a 9mm with a full clip.

"Shinji… I… nothing. I didn't do any…" I go over to her and grab her arms.

"Asuka! What the hell were you thinking of doing!" I saw tears form in her eyes, "You didn't do anything THIS time! Were you really going to… you know what? Akagi suggested this, but I said no. I feel that it's necessary now. She offered to have you under surveillance 24/7 for this purpose! I said, 'No, Asuka would never do that!' I trusted you, and you proved me wrong," she still said nothing, "Come on!" I drag her out of the room. I never thought it would come to this.

A/N- Hello! That went a little farther than I wanted it to! She came damn close too! Anyway, what will Akagi do to Asuka? How will the funeral go? Will Asuka try that again? Find out in the next chapter; Surveillance, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	55. Surveillance

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Disclaimer- I do not own anything to do with NGE.

Chapter 55: Surveillance

NERV – Elevator

I was taking Asuka to Akagi's so she could be put under a close eye. I just couldn't believe that she would pull something like this. What was she thinking?

"Shinji…" turn my head and glare at her, "I-I… don't know…how…" now who was the bad liar?

"Bull! You know damn well what you were doing! You know what's bothering me the most? The fact that you didn't come to me for help! You knew that I would have been there for you, but now you've turned it into something serious. What made you not tell me? Was it that you thought I would shun you? Was it just that you were ashamed? Or was it your pride again?" she just stood there, looking at the floor, "This is what I mean! If you can't even talk to me, how the hell are we going to raise a child! How long have you been planning this? WHY were you planning this?" she didn't avert her stare to the floor, and waited a few seconds, "I asked you a question!" the doors to the elevator opened to reveal a few men, who slowly crept away at the sight.

"I don't know! I just don't know! I felt overwhelmed… I just couldn't take it anymore…" she couldn't take it? She thought that she was the only one in this.

"Then why didn't you talk to me? You know I would have listened, and you know I would have helped," at least, I hope she did.

"I… didn't want… you to worry," that wasn't an answer!

"You didn't want me to worry! How do you think I feel now, huh? In case you can't tell, I'm scared out of my mind! I almost lost you AND our child! You did know that you'd be killing the baby, right? How did you justify that?" she still hasn't looked away from that one spot on the ground. "Look at me…" still, nothing. I put my hand on her chin; rising her to eye level, "Look at me when I'm talking…" her eyes were full of tears.

"Please… don't take me to her…" then what was I supposed to do?

"Well I have to do something. If you think I'm just going to brush this off, you're crazy. Fine, you don't have to go to Akagi's, but you have to follow MY rules now," she nodded slightly, "Okay, for one, I put the same camera in your room as you did with me and Sam. Second, I will be going everywhere with you outside of NERV. Third, I clean out your room and take out whatever I think is necessary," she jumped a little at the last one, "take it or leave it." I knew that having rules set was killing her – and it did me too – but I had to do something.

"F-fine… as long as you don't tell anyone, not even Hikari. Nobody," she didn't want her sign of weakness to make itself public.

"Okay, we'll go back now." The elevator was just reaching the floor we needed, but now we had to go back. As I press the button, she speaks up again.

"Thank you…" it was barely above a mumble, but I heard it crystal clear.

"Don't thank me. I let it go this far, this is my fault. I AM going to fix it though," I should have seen the signs; I should have followed Akagi's warnings. I didn't, and I almost paid for it.

---

The Next Day – Asuka's Room

I didn't care what Gendo said, I had to be with her. Last night, I didn't go back to my room, I was just too scared to leave her. This morning when I woke up, she was still asleep. I got up slowly out of bed and began my renovations I didn't allow any ropes, sharp objects, or anything that even resembled the two. I was cleaning out under her bed, when I found yet another object that made me queasy.

"Where the hell do you keep getting these?" now I had found two weapons; a 9mm and a hunting knife. Both – I was sure – were going to be used by her eventually. I put the knife in my back pocket and go about my business. I already knew the rule 'Never go through a girl's room!' that the guys at school would joke about, but I thought that it was just that, a joke. Never thought I'd find enough weapons to stop a grizzly.

"What are you… ah shit…" she saw that I found the other weapon, "I swear! I was going to tell you!" I just can't trust her anymore, even if I wanted too.

"Uh huh… whatever," I didn't want excuses.

"Don't 'whatever' me! You know I hate that!" not a time to piss me off.

"You hate it? You know what I hate? I hate almost losing the only person that has ever loved me and my child! I also hate being lied to! Now tell me again what you hate!" she just sat in bed with a blank stare, "Yeah, that's what I thought – speechless." I go back to cleaning out her room when she spoke up after a few minutes.

"I hate not being trusted…" I didn't think it was meant to be heard, but I did.

"Then earn the trust! Asuka, give me one reason that I should trust you now! Just one!" she just sat there staring at the wall in front of her, "See? I used to trust you with my life, but now I can't even trust you with your own life! How do you think that makes me feel, huh?" her blank stare didn't retreat.

"It was a moment of weakness… I won't let it happen again. If anything, you can trust that," she said the last part with a little emotion.

"But what if it does?" she looked at me – finally – with those beautiful blue eyes, "Ugh… fine, I'll give you one month under my watch. If you don't try anything, I'll leave you alone. Deal?" she let out a soft sigh.

"Deal… it'll be nice to have a watch-dog for awhile," the first time I saw her smile in awhile was right then, "oh, and don't be mad, but look in my closet, near my shirts," another one!

"Asuka! How many weapons do you have!" She shook her head and pointed to the closet. I open it, and look to the right of where her shirts were nicely folded, "where… did you get this?" under a pile of shoes, I saw a silver frame with a picture of us sharing a kiss at the beach. 'Nothing Will Ever Change This' was engraved on the bottom.

"I got it when they thought you died. I thought that you might want it back," I walk over to her with the frame in hand.

"Nah, you keep it," I set it up on the near-by dresser; "it'll remind you of what we have." She blushed a little at this. I've never seen her blush in my life, so this must have meant a lot to her.

"Thanks…" I've never seen this side of her before; so loving, so calm, and actually acting really nice. I lean down and kiss her lightly on the lips, and walk off. I wasn't too worried about her now – not to say I didn't have the camera up. I close the door with confidence of the fact that she won't do anything. I walk back into my room to see Gahiji playing the game again.

"Where were you last night?" I don't answer, "Its cool. Hey, I've been meaning to ask you, who is the father of Asuka's baby? I didn't want to ask her, so I was wondering if you knew." You think he would have picked it up! Wonder if I was that clueless when I was twelve…

"Well… uh… I'll give you a hint; you know him, and he's a pilot." He jumped out of his skin. Was I really that dense?

"Are you serious! Man, poor Asuka… how is she taking it?" what is he talking about? Wait…

"No! Not Cass! Sam was the one that dated Cass!" damn!

"Well then who?" good God! Was this kid supposed to save the world! I walk in front of him and point to my face, "Enough with the hints man! Wait… are you…?" I nod furiously, "no way! You got her pregnant! Are you two dating? But you guys are complete opposites!" it's about damn time!

"Well, yeah, that's the reason we're attracted to each other. Man, how did you not know? There were signs ya know; holding hands, sitting together, KISSING!" he laughed a little.

"Heh, sorry, I'm not too good with that kind of stuff. So… when did it happen?" this is just getting wrong.

"Man! That's messed up! You're too young anyway," he was only twelve!

"Oh, come on!" I don't say anything, hoping that he will drop it, "Fine, but don't act like I'm four. You act like I don't know HOW it happens," well now I felt bad! He wasn't even a teenager though, so I just didn't feel comfortable with it.

"Sorry, but you need to learn how to present yourself. You just don't ask when people had sex, it's not appropriate." He really was young, wasn't he?

"Okay, my bad. You wanna play?" I grab a controller and try to relax. I didn't want to think about Asuka, but I couldn't help it. After I die on the game – it was intentional – I go to check on the monitor I had set up to the camera. It was completely black…

"Crap!" assuming the worst, I go running into her room… a big mistake. My heart sank at what I saw…

A/N- So, do you think Asuka will keep her promise? What did he see? Did Asuka commit the unthinkable? Find out in the next chapter; She's Gone…, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	56. She's Gone

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Disclaimer- I do not own anything to do with NGE.

Chapter 56: She's Gone…

Asuka's Room

"Get out! What the hell are you doing!" I slam the door shut. Turns out she was changing into different clothes. "Damn! You can come in now! How many times do I have to tell you to knock!" I walk back in and see her under the covers of her bed.

"S-sorry… I just thought that…" she cut me off.

"You just thought that I was killing myself, is that it? I told you I wouldn't do it! I put a shirt over the camera so you didn't watch me getting dressed!" I saw that she was right about the shirt over the camera, "Is that it? If so, you can leave now!" I walk away as fast as I can. I gotta be more careful at what I do from now on. I go back into my room to see Gahiji giggling.

"Just shut up…" he stopped giggling, but I knew he was smiling.

"Nice…" I heard him mutter. Looks like his hormones are starting up a little early. Soon enough, he'll be freaking out! Man, now that I think back to it, when I was thirteen, I had one hell of a time. I mean, I know that my chemical balance is still out-of-whack, but not anything like back then. When I think about what I thought back then… I made a decision about my new roommate. With that, I go in and set an internal lock on the monitor.

"Keep your eyes off Asuka…" I knew he didn't hear it – and he wasn't supposed to – but it made me feel better about it. I go back out into the living room – there were only two rooms, the living room and an extra room – to see him playing the game again. I wasn't really in the mood to play, so I just fall back on my bed and close my eyes.

---

One Hour Later

"Asuka? Hello?" I was in the NERV hallways looking for Asuka. I couldn't find her anywhere, she wasn't in her room, not in my room, or even Sam's room. I had no idea. In fact, Gahiji was gone too. I go into Sam's room to see her sitting on the floor. "Sam? Are you…" she whips around her head to reveal a bloody fore-head. "Whoa! Sam!" I run over to her and put a hand over the bloody spot, "What happened?" I looked into her grey eyes… but… they weren't…

"Asuka… she tried to kill me…" her eyes… they were green again… what she just said barely processed in my brain.

"Sam… your- wait… what! Asuka did what?" she points to a bat lying on the other side of the room. Did she really try to kill Sam? I knew she was planning it for herself, but Sam was her friend, "Where did she go?" Sam pointed to the hallway.

"To the right…" I jumped up and ran out. I basically am looking for her in the dark here. I had no idea where to look, so I just opened every door that passed me. If they were locked, I would just knock, and if no-one answered, I would just kick it down. Turns out I was strong enough to even do that! I eventually got to a room with a black door.

"Asuka! Are you in there!" no answer, "Asuka!" still, no answer. I once again kick down a door, "Oh my God!" there, on the floor, laid Asuka. A large, deep gash crossed her neck, and blood was pooling around her head. Her eyes were still open, staring at the ceiling. I stumble backwards, and fall down at what I see; "A-Asuka…" a knife is still in her hand. I can't breath, I can't even blink, all I can do is stare at the mother of my child laying on the floor dead. I feel tears starting to run down my face, then fall onto my lap. I try to get up and just run, but all I can manage was a backward-crawl towards the door. I get into the hallway to see Akagi standing there.

"Oh, hi Shinji. You okay? Shinji… what's wrong?" I just stare up at her with wide, teary eyes. I manage to lift a hand and point into the room, "What is… oh God!" she runs inside of the room and leans down beside Asuka. Ritsuko grabs a wrist… and begins to cry herself.

"I-Is s-she…" I can barely talk. Akagi looks up at me and walks over. She leans down and hugs me.

"I'm so sorry… come on…" she helps me to my feet and takes my hand. We begin to walk away; I get one last look at Asuka.

---

Akagi's Office

"Shinji… why would she do this?" I was obviously in no mood to talk. I just sat there and listened, "I thought you said that she was doing fine, if so, then what happened?" it was then I realized something… this was my fault. I let her talk me into a bad judgment, and I left her alone.

"It's… my fault…" she then had a confused look on her face, "I knew that she tried this before… but I let it go…" she jumped up out of her seat.

"What! I told you to bring her to me if that were to happen! Shinji, how could you do this? You knew the dangers of depression, and you just LET IT GO! You do realize what you've done, right?" I once again feel a steady stream of tears rolling down my face.

"Y-Yes…" was all I could mutter.

"Then why did you… forget it. The only thing we need to worry about right now is what to do at this point." What was there to do? I was done… I couldn't live without her. I just sat there, eventually; she gets up with a sigh and leaves. I soon get up too, and head to the room with Asuka. the door was still open, so I walk in to find her still there. All of the color is out of her skin, and her eyes were now grey. The blood has now soaked into the rug, leaving a huge red blob on the floor.

"Asuka…" I can barely even hear myself as I talk. I lay down next to her and close my eyes once again.

---

Twenty Minutes Later

"Shinji? Shinji, wake up," I heard a girl's voice. I slowly open my eyes to see Sam standing there with bandages on her head.

"Sam? Oh… hey…" she stood there with her eyes closed. Maybe I imagined her green eyes.

"Shinji, get up, your getting all messy." Messy? What was she talking about? "Your shirt," I look down to see that I was soaked in blood. I leap up and tear off the shirt. I can't believe that just happened… "Come on," she takes my wrist and drags me to her room. "Sit down," she points to the bed. Sam was acting weird… even for a girl that just got beat over the head with a bat. She walks over to me and just stands there in front of me.

"What… is it?" my voice was obviously hurting. I was on no mood to talk; I just wanted to be alone… no, I wanted to be with Asuka.

"Nothing…" she slowly puts each of her legs on either side of mine. Sam then sits down on my lap.

"What… are you doing!" what the hell! She wraps her arms around my neck, and leans in slightly.

"Come on… just relax…" she leans in so our lips are almost touching, "just… relax…" she leans in all the way, and embraces me in a tight kiss. I try to pull back, but she holds me tight. Eventually, she lets up.

"What the hell are you doing!" she just smiled, "Sam! Did you not just see Asuka DEAD!" even I shuddered at the last part. She started to lean in again, but I pushed her off, sending her falling to the floor.

"Ah! Shinji, why are you being so mean?" Was she being serious?

"Me! What were you just doing?" she smiled again, "Sam! Why did you do that?"

"Because I want it. Come on Shinji, just once…" she gets up and walks over to me. Just once what? She gets over to me and puts a hand on my shoulder, "I know you want to," she kind of sounded like Asuka when… wait…

"Whoa! Sam! Do you know what you're saying?" she nodded, "I'm sorry, but I can't…" she put a finger on my lips.

"Yes you can… you did it with Asuka… you can do it with me. It'll make you feel better," Sam runs a finger across my bare chest, "just relax…" she began to rub her hands on my chest, then slowly move down.

"Sam… stop…" I've never know her to be like this, so pushy, so needing. Was she like this with Cass? I just can't imagine them actually DOING anything, but apparently, I was wrong.

"But we both want it… I do, and I know you do…" her hands reach my hips, and then stop.

"No, I don't. I really don't want to. I'm sorry, but I can't do this for you," she leans forward and kisses my neck.

"Yes you can," for reasons I will never know, I don't stop her.

---

Sam's Room – Morning

"Shinji, wake up," I heard Sam talking while she nudged my body.

"Huh? Oh, hi Sa- oh my God…" I just realized what had happened last night. I was still in her bed.

"Oh, so you're telling me you didn't like it? You've fallen before me Shinji, you're mine now," she giggles a little before speaking again, "Heh… I guess you could say that you've fallen for Lust…"

A/N- Sorry, no comment for this chapter. I really can't say much without spoiling the next chapter. Well, until you read the next chapter; Last One, keep on keepin' on!


	57. Last One

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Chapter 57: Last One

Same Place

"Heh… I guess you could say that you've fallen for Lust…" I can't believe that Asuka has been gone no more than four hours and I've already had sex with another woman!

"Wait… what did you just say?" she rolls over and look s at the wall, "Sam, what did you just say?"

"You look into things too much. Don't worry about it," I don't know what bothered me about her comment. I mean, sure, Lust was one of the sins, but that wasn't it. It was just how she said it. It sounded like it wasn't Sam talking.

"Sam… you can't tell anyone about last night. God, I can't believe I did that! What kind of man am I! My lover and child just passed and I'm already in bed with the first girl I see!" she got up and walked over to the closet.

"You make it sound like I'm a whore," she slipped on a shirt and shorts, "That hurts my feelings…" she sounded like she was joking, but I wasn't laughing.

"I'm such a bastard! How could I betray her like that?" I was still ranting.

"Oh come on!" she laughed a little while she spoke, "Asuka's dead, and so is your baby. I'm here, and I care for you, isn't that enough? Grow up!" this wasn't Sam talking, it was something else.

"The hell is your problem? Sam, that's seriously messed up!" I jump out of bed and walk to my room. I open the door to see that no-one was there – and to see that I was wearing the same thing as last night. I just walked halfway across the living courtiers in my birthday suit. Nice. I get dressed and head out for a walk; I needed to clear my mind. Not even ten steps out of my room I feel a tug from the back of my shirt. I turn to see Sam again.

"Why'd you get dressed? I liked it better before…" what was her problem today? She sounds like a sixth grader, "Come back, I'm sorry. Please?" I sigh and go with her just to get her to shut up.

"Sam, I don't feel right about this. I'm just not ready yet," of course, that didn't stop me last night.

"Well I am…" she starts to unbutton my shirt, "deal with it." Like hell I will! I let my anger take over, and ending with me once again pushing her to the floor. On the way down, she bangs her head on the foot-board of the bed.

"Sam! Ah crap!" I go down to the ground to see her head cut open just under her bandages. But one thing was different, her skin was cut open, that was for sure, but no blood came out. Just raw muscle was exposed. She wasn't moving, "Sam! Wake up!" she began to squirm.

"Ugh… that hurt… why'd you do that?" she was still conscious? She went up to touch her head, "Ah crap!" it then began to bleed. How was that possible?

"S-sorry…" I was still wondering about her head.

"Don't be, I just didn't realize you didn't like me." What the hell? Where did that come from?

"Oh come on Sam, you know I do, just not like that," she looks up at me with those grey eyes. I was able to see so much emotion – which was the same I saw in Asuka when we kissed – in them, even if they were dead. Why was she acting like this?

"Ah man! You broke my favorite lamp!" she must have hit the large lamp on her way down, "Whatever… now, where were we?" she crawls over to me and finished unbuttoning my shirt. Can she take a hint? "Just like before, relax…" she moved in and tried to kiss me, but I once again push her away. "AH!" I hear a quick squeal before the silence came. I open my eyes to see her lying on her back among the broken glass, with one large shard sticking out of her neck.

"Sam!" blood was pouring out of her gash. I check her wrist like Akagi did with Asuka… nothing… "Shit! Why is this happening!" all of the women I cared for are all dead! I start to feel dizzy, and everything goes black.

---

NERV Hospital

I wake up to the sound of a beautiful voice humming. It sounded familiar, but I wasn't so sure. The song relaxed me, and so did the voice. It was that of a woman's tone, but I still couldn't put a finger on it.

"Oh, you're up. Bout' time!" Was that… Asuka?

A/N- Bet I caught you off guard right there huh? Once again, I can't say much without spoiling the next chapter. Just find out what happens for yourself in the next chapter; We're Done, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	58. We're Done?

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Disclaimer- I do not own anything to do with NGE.

A/N- Sorry for not posting a chapter in the last two days, but I was in Carson competing for Science Olympiad. Well, here's the next chapter!

Chapter 58: We're Done?

NERV Hospital

"Oh, you're up. Bout' time!" Was that… Asuka? I strain to open my eyes, but when I do the sudden burst of light forces me to close them again. I feel a hand on my wrist, then Akagi talking.

"Yeah, he's fine," fine from what? What exactly happened back there? I finally felt able to open my eyes, and when I do I see a blurred image of a human profile.

"A-Asuka?" how was it her? There was no way! I saw her myself; her neck was cut wide open!

"Well duh! Shinji, what happened?" she was asking ME what happened? "You've been out for a month!" what was she talking about? The blurred image finally comes into focus and I see the red-headed beauty. She wasn't lying, I must have been 'out' for awhile, her stomach was huge!

"B-But… you were… and Sam…" my hands are shaking, but I wasn't too sure why. You would think I would be overjoyed to see her again – and I was – but the happiness was easily shadowed by the fear.

"I was what? Shinji, you mind telling me what you dreamt of?" she sounded sarcastic, "Don't lie to me, I can tell…"

"I… don't know if it was a dream… it felt so real, I could really feel pain and pleasure." it was true, I was able… wait… did I just say pleasure?

"You hentai! I knew it!" she knew what?

"Whoa! Asuka! Wait! Don't get mad! It wasn't you!" just keep digging, don't I?

"It wasn't me! That's worse!" ah damnit! I just woke up from a months worth of sleep and now I'm fighting.

"Asuka…" I try to calm her down, "Come here, come closer," she leans in a little. I gently run my fingers across her neck; no scarring, no blood, what happened?

"Shinji… that tickles…" she smiles a little. My hand rises to her cheek, and she opens those blue eyes.

"Had to make sure," she had no idea what I was talking about.

"Make sure? About what?" might as well tell her.

"I don't know what happened, but I – in my dream – found you in a room with a slit throat," she jumped a little, my hand was still on her cheek, and still unmoving, "You know what? I'm not sure, but I think we're done. I think that we're done fighting. I don't think it was a dream, I'm pretty sure that it was Lust's way of attacking." She went wide eyed.

"Are you joking? Wait… Lust? So that's what you were dreaming of!" how did she know I did… that.

"Fine, I'll tell you what happened on two conditions; one, you don't get mad at me. Two, tell me how you knew! I swear, sometimes I think you're physic!

"How I knew? Well, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out," then what! "Let's just say you made quite the tent." She smirks a little… that's just wrong. "Now, tell me what happened, and I promise not to get mad." Not that I didn't believe her, its just that I know it would hurt her.

"Okay, fine… after you died, Sam came up to me," she cringed a little at that. She knew what was coming, "she said that she just wanted to help. That she needed me as much as I needed her. Asuka… I'm so sorry… I don't know what happened, I just felt weak. I know that there want an excuse for what I did." Her eyes closed.

"I promised that I wouldn't get mad… but… forget it…" those words ate away at me. That was the first time I saw her actually jealous.

"No, I deserve it. All I ask is that you don't change how you feel about me. I know that there is no way on earth that I could possibly make up for it, but please…" she lunged forward and latched on to me.

"I want you for myself… no-one else…" that was… wow. She never talked like this. She has never acted jealous, at least, not when I was around. I felt a wet spot forming on my shirt, "please… don't leave me… I don't want to be alone…" something happened when I was away; nothing would be able to make her act like this unless she had a good reason.

"Asuka… are you okay? What happened when I was away?" she rose her head and looked at me with teary eyes.

"You… weren't here for Cass's funeral…" Ah! I forgot about that! I can't believe I missed it, "Sam was a mess, and I know that I would be the same way… you have to promise to never leave me… please!" I never knew her to be like this. I put a hand around her and tried to comfort her.

"I promise…" I tried to change the subject, "So, how are you feeling? I mean about the baby, is everything going okay?" the tears soon left her face, being replaced with the normal strong and proud look.

"Well of course! In fact, I was going to go in for a sonogram today, you wanna come?" of course I do! I finally get to see my child!

"Yes! Yes I do!" she laughed a little.

"Heh, I knew you'd be excited. Look, put your hand here," she grabbed my hand and placed it on her stomach, "now just hold still…" soon, I felt it kick my hand, "you feel that?" nothing could describe what I felt at the moment. A mix of pride, excitement, happiness and other nameless emotions fell over me.

"Wow… when did it start that?" a stupid question, I know, but I had no other comments. It felt amazing to know that we did this, that we made life.

"Right after you fell asleep. So, Akagi said that I could do the sonogram right now. You ready?" not quite yet.

"No… I want you to do something…" she nods "can you sing that song again?" Asuka tilts her head a little.

"What? Why?" why did she think?

"Because it sounded beautiful," I see a slight shade of red cross her cheeks, "Please? Just a couple of minutes…" I knew I sounded pitiful, but it really was nice. She closed her eyes again, and began to hum the song same as before. After a couple of minutes, I almost fell back asleep, until she cut in.

"Okay, come on, I want to see our baby!" in a few minutes, the sex of the child will be revealed. I slowly slug out of bed, but was thrown back in by Asuka, "You might want to put these on…" she thrusts a pair of pants into my lap.

"Ah crap!" she even told me about it before! I throw them on, and THEN got out of bed.

"That's better… for everyone else…" that made my cheeks light on fire immediately, "You're too easy! But seriously, you need a shave; the rugged look doesn't work for you." She puts a hand on my chin.

"Um… okay…" how was I supposed to respond to that? She just laughed a little and we continued on our way. We finally got to a room with Akagi in it.

"Oh! Hi kids! Asuka, are you ready for it?" Asuka walks over to the small bed and lays down, "I'll take that as a yes," Akagi laughed a little, and so did I.

"What's so funny!" we both stop right away, "That's what I thought! Now, how much longer am I going to have to wait?" Ritsuko walks over to a small table and picks up a long tube.

"Okay, shirt up," Man, could she be more up front with it?

"Geez, you don't take your time do you? Fine, but that stuff better not cold!" Asuka lifts up her shirt to just above her stomach. Akagi walked over to her and squirted quite a bit of the clear-blue gel on Asuka's stomach, "Ah! That is cold!"

"Oh grow up! Now hold still," she grabs the rod attached to the sonogram and slowly glided it over her stomach, "Okay, the image is loading… and… there. See it?" there on the screen was a small body in a black backround.

"Wow…" was all I could mutter. Asuka was just a wide-eyed as me.

"Is it a boy or a girl?" Asuka had a very soft yet clear voice.

"Well, it looks like…" Akagi paused…

A/N- Got you there didn't I? Well, Asuka's fine, and so is Shinji. I know that Asuka was very OOC in this chapter, but there is a reason for it… but I'll tell you why later! See what I mean in the next chapter; Shower, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	59. Shower

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Chapter 59: Shower

NERV Hospital

"It looks like…" she was doing that on purpose! "It looks like a girl to me." Asuka let out a soft whine, "Looks like a kicker too!" I tried not to laugh.

"So… it's a girl?" Asuka spoke, trying to ignore the pain. Akagi nodded, "Say hello to Dietlinde…" Ritsuko tilted her head a little.

"What? Oh, is that the name? I thought that it would be German! Anyway, the baby – Dietlinde – is progressing just fine. Its growth is normal, and you should be giving birth with no complications," I was hoping for that.

"So… is that it? I'm getting cold," Auks spoke up. Akagi laughed a little and began to wipe off the gel. When she was done, Asuka pulled down her shirt, "Shinji? Why haven't you said anything?" mainly because I was speechless.

"Sorry… it's just that… sorry," a few thoughts crossed my mind at that moment. Seeing Asuka there with a baby was just amazing.

"It's not like you didn't know!" that wasn't it, "But you're right, it is amazing. I actually think I'm ready for the birth now," that was relieving, Asuka has been stressing about it for the last month.

"Good, but you still have two months to go. I do need to know something for when you do give birth; if it comes down to it, do you want a C-section?" we all knew the answer to that…

"Hell no! I don't care what happens, do not do that!" She was upset about just a few scars on her back; I can't imagine her with a huge line going across her stomach.

"Heh, should have seen that coming. Okay, we will TRY not to do it, but there are some circumstances where we might have to do it. I doubt that it will happen with you though, so don't worry," Asuka crawls out of bed and comes over to me.

"So, is the name still okay with you?" she is asking me! Normally when her mind is made up, you couldn't change it for the world.

"Um… yeah… sounds good to me," it really did too. I liked the name.

"Good, me too. I need a shower to get all this crap off of me, see ya later," with that, she headed off to her room.

"Shinji, have you even thought of throwing a shower for her! I thought you already did it!" a shower? Ah crap! I forgot about that!

"Well… no," Asuka is going to kill me!

"Well you'd better hurry! Look, I'll send out for all of the invitations, you just get the party together. We'll have it tomorrow, so we obviously can't do much, but at least try to make an effort. God, Shinji, how could you forget?" well, I HAVE had a lot going on lately.

"Sorry, I'll go get all of the stuff now." I start to run out of the room, but she stops me.

"Whoa! Wait! Here, go to this address, they specialize in this sort of thing. Remember, nothing too fancy, it'll take too long to get. Also, take this; it's basically like a credit card, but with NERV's account on it." Why has NERV been doing that lately? They have been giving me this like it was candy, "Well go on! You don't have much time!" I run out of the room without a word and head to my room. I wasn't too sure where Gahiji was, but I just ignored it. I go into the bathroom and – as Asuka had asked – shaved and got ready. Now fully clothed, I jump into my car and drive to the address Akagi gave me. When I got there, I saw that the building was a huge, white structure. I walk in just to be greeted with a mob of salesmen.

"Well hello sir! How may I help you?" One man in a tux said after shoving all of the other men out of the way.

"Um… I need to plan a baby shower, but it needs to be really fast. We need it to be for tomorrow," he jumped a little at that, "I know that its short notice, but we need it that way." He put out his hand.

"Well, I will do what I can. My name is Hito, nice to meet you!" I shake his hand.

"Nice to meet you," he takes me to a quiet room and takes out a single piece of paper.

"Okay, so, are you looking for anything in particular?" I shake my head, "No? Well then, do you just want the normal? We can make a pretty nice party with all of the basics, does that sound good?" how was I supposed to know what the basics are?

"Anything would sound good at this point. One question though, I have absolutely no idea what to get, so can you tell me?" he laughs a little.

"I'm sorry, it's just that I'm normally dealing with adults here," hey! "Look, what we'll be getting for you is a reservation at the beach. That day, no one except for the guests will be allowed on the beach. We will also provide a small band, a cake, and all of the normal food. I'm sorry that it's not much, but on such short notice, it's all I can do. Sound good?" that actually sounded nice.

"Yeah, that's great. Now, how much is it going to be?" like it mattered to me, I wasn't paying!

"Well, sorry, but I need at least one of the parents of the child to sign for the party. Why don't you go get them and we'll be done." I always hated when people did that.

"Well that's nice. Can I pay now?" he gave me a confused look, "I'm the father! Now where do I pay?" he jumps a little.

"Oh! I'm so sorry! Here, just sign this, and then I'll need 250000 Yen." That was pretty cheap in my eyes. A private beach, a band, food and a cake would be more then that normally. He hands me a piece of paper with all of the information on it and I sign the dotted line, then hand him the card the Akagi gave me. "Um… sorry but, what's this?" I take out my NERV ID.

"You can just charge it to the NERV account." He damn near fainted, "What is it?"

"I knew I've seen you before! You're Shinji Ikari, pilot of Unit 01!" why was my name always attached to that machine? "If you don't mind my asking, who is the lucky lady?" should have seen that coming.

"Yeah, I am, and if you have to know, it's Asuka Langley Souryu." Now he was on my face.

"The pilot of Unit 02! She's pregnant!" I nod slightly, "Wow… well congratulations. Let me just ring this up and we'll be done. The party will be at North Beach starting at twelve PM, so try not to be late!" after he was done he handed me the card and I simply left without a word. I drove to a store that I have had my mind on for awhile now.

"I'll take that one, thanks," I handed the casher my bank card and left. I felt that I had to pay for this one.

---

Akagi's Office – Same Day

"Oh, you're back! Look, I need the time and place. I have all of the cards written up, I just need that." She was buried in a pile of envelopes, cards, and pens.

"Wow… you did all of this? Thanks… really," she nodded with a smile, "Anyway, it'll be a North Beach at twelve."

"Okay, sounds good. What do you got there?" she points to my pocket, which was filled with a fumbling hand.

"N- Nothing…" I fiddle with the black box.

"Okay, you don't have to tell me. Here, grab a pen; I need to finish these as soon as possible." I do so and we finish the cards in about ten minutes. She invited everyone; Kensuke, Toji, Hikari, Sam, Gahiji, a few of the NERV employees, and to my amazement, Gendo. I doubted that he would show up, but I sent it out anyway. When we were done, I went to Asuka's room.

"Oh, hey Shinji, where did you go?" she was lying down on the bed watching TV. I go over and sit next to her.

"No where. Look, do you want to go to the beach tomorrow?" getting her there would be the biggest challenge, "You don't have to wear a bathing suit or anything, I just want to spend some time with you."

"Okay, sure. I've been bored to tears lately, so maybe this'll help. What time?" that was easier than I thought it would be.

"How about we leave at twelve?" I grip the object in my pocket.

"Sure, sounds good. Hey, you want to hear something funny? You know how Dietlinde has been moving lately?" she was already referring to it by its name, "Well, in the shower, I had to set it to cold water. When the warm water would hit me, she would literally move to one side, and damn near make me fall!" I couldn't help but laugh at this.

"She definitely has your personality! So, tomorrow we go to the beach, don't forget. It'll be fun, I promise," that was a promise I knew I could keep.

"Okay, thanks. I'm going to take a quick nap, I don't know why, but I'm really tired. You can stay if you want," I decline and head off to my room. Gahiji was playing that damn game again. I think he was getting somewhat addicted to it.

"Hey Gahiji." He leaps up out of the chair.

"Holy crap! What happened! You were out for a month!" an explosion from the video crossed the room.

"Two things; one, Lust attacked me and yes, she is dead, and two, watch your language. You're too young for that," I knew that when people talked about his age it pissed him off, so I try to do it often!

"So… no more sins? Cool. Also, you have to stop calling me young. I'm a teenager now! My birthday was last week!" he was still a kid in my eyes. I just shrug and head to my bed. Last time I laid down here, I went out for a month, so I didn't go to sleep. I just lay back staring at the ceiling thinking about tomorrow until I had to go to bed.

---

The Next Day – Asuka's Room – 11:30 AM

"You almost ready?" Asuka was in the bathroom getting dressed while I waited.

"Keep your cool! Its not like we don't have all day!" actually, we didn't. I wonder how she was going to handle this… how she was going to handle the… "Hey Shinji, see that shirt on the bed, can you get it for me?" she cut off my train of thought. Taking my hand away from the black box in my pocket, I grab the pink shirt and slide it through the small crack in the door, "thanks!" after a few more minutes; Asuka came back out wearing the loose shirt with a pair of jeans.

"You look nice, are you ready to go?" I offer my hand and she takes it.

"You're a bad liar Shinji, but thanks." We walk out to my car and I start to get in, "Hold on, I haven't gotten to drive my car yet, and I know that I can't really drive right now, so can we take my car?" that was pretty funny, her actually wanting to take the van.

"Sure, if you want to. You got the keys?" she throws them over the car at me, and land on my chest, and then it bounces to the ground.

"Oh, sorry," I pick them up as I remember how she would have reacted to this not even two years ago. Before, she would have either laughed or insulted me instead of apologizing. It really was amazing how much she has changed through the years; she has gotten more mature, more caring, and more likable.

"Don't worry about it, okay, let's go." We walk across the parking lot to the bright red van. "Wow, not bad. I like it in here, it's really roomy." Actually, anything would seem huge compared to my car.

"Eh, it's okay," as I watched her get in I realized that there was no way she would have been able to get into my car. "Well come on! Let's get going!" I start up the van and drive off. We arrived at the beach right on twelve, "Damnit! The beach is closed! Let's just go to the… what are you doing? The sign says that the beach is closed. It looks like a private party, we just can't go in!" I open her door and offer my hand.

"That's the point, just come on," with wide eyes, she takes my hand and gets out.

"Shinji? What did you do?" I smile, but not about the party.

"Just come on," she starts to walk with me to the music filled area. Everything was pink, the banners, the three-foot-tall cake, and all of the wrapping paper.

"Shinji… did you…?" it was finally getting through to her.

"Hey Asuka! Come join the party!" I heard Hikari yell from across the beach. She comes running over and stops in front of Asuka, "How do you like it? Its all for you!" Asuka's face lit up a bright red.

"Is this… a baby shower?" I nod, "You did all of this? Really? Thank you!" she latches on to me.

"Awww! Look at the two parents!" Of course Toji had to make a comment. "Ow!" I saw five people simultaneously whack him on the head.

"Serves you right you ass!" Asuka turned and yelled at him.

"Forget him, just have fun. This day is all about you Asuka, so just relax," Akagi came over to us.

"Really… thank you," Asuka's cheeks were still ablaze.

"Don't worry about it! Now, you have about ten gifts with you name on them. Why don't you open a few?" I knew that this was a fairly small shower compared to what I've seen in the past, but I think Asuka was okay with it.

"Sure!" Akagi rolls the table of gifts over to us and hands one large pink box to Asuka, "Here, open this one first, it's from me." Asuka takes off the red bow and opens the box to reveal a huge collection of children's books. I knew Asuka would use these every night with the baby.

"Thanks, you know we'll both be using these," I would want to, but I doubt Asuka would skip a night to read to Dietlinde.

"I hope so; children learn better when they are read to as infants," should have seen that coming, "anyway, here's a gift from Toji… I swear, if it's a joke!" she glares at an awkwardly smiling Toji. Asuka tears off the hot-pink paper to show a surprisingly serious gift. Inside of the box was a diaper bag full of the 'essentials'.

"Wow… you bought this? Didn't think you could be so serious!" I couldn't help but make that comment!

"Hey! I can be caring sometimes!" I look over at Hikari and smile, "Oh shut up!" the whole party – including Hikari – laughs.

"Here's the next one, its from… ah crap… Kensuke…" he has been freaking out about this whole pregnancy thing since the beginning. Him and Asuka weren't exactly on good terms.

"Why don't you let me open this one?" I take the small box from her, "Kensuke, I'm giving you one warning, you hear me?" he just smiles. I open the small box and throw it at him. "Asshole!" the contents went flying everywhere. Now he was covered in his gift, about five condoms.

"Oh come on! It's a joke!" Even Toji glares at him. Nobody was laughing.

"Leave… now…" Asuka was really pissed "You see this as a bad thing, but none of us do. I'm sick of your attitude towards us!" truthfully, so was I.

"It was a joke!" he walks over to her… big mistake.

"Fuck off!" she knees him in the groin, and he stumbles off, "Now that the pest is gone, we can get back to the party!" her face was now a smile, and a few people were laughing.

"Um… well… here, this one is from Sam," the box was huge! Asuka took the long ribbon and pulled, and the paper followed. Inside was a white crib.

"Sam! You bought this? It must have cost you a fortune! Thank you!" Asuka went over and hugged her.

"I knew you would need one, so I just got it. Hope you get a good use out of it!" Asuka released her and was handed another gift from Akagi. The rest of them were typical baby gifts, clothes, shoes, the usual. After all of the gifts were opened, I saw a car pull up to the lot. A tall man with brown hair and tinted glasses walked towards us… Gendo.

"Oh… hello Commander…" Akagi spoke in a voice barely above a whisper.

"Good afternoon. Asuka, can you come here please?" She slowly walked over to him and he took out a small box, "Congratulations…" Everyone nearly fainted, including me. Asuka took the box from him and began to open it, "Hold on, wait until you get home." Those were the last words he said all day. Asuka followed his order and walked back over to me.

"Well, that's it for the gifts! Now let's cut the… wait… Shinji? Why didn't you get Asuka a gift?" my heart began to race as I fumbled with the black box in my pocket.

"I-I did…" I motioned the band to stop playing and they did. I walked over to Asuka as everyone stared at me, "Asuka… when I first met you, I have to admit that I never thought I would end up having a child with you. After you moved in, we would battle on a daily basis, and for a short time, I really did hate you, but after the fourteenth angel, I began to get closer to you." I take her hand in mine, "From then on, our relationship only grew. That day at the beach was the first time I was able too sum up the courage to tell you how I felt, and at first, I thought it was a mistake. Once again I was wrong; in fact, it turned out to be the beginning of us. We have shared our fears, our dreams, our nightmares, a child, and I hope to share much more. I love you Asuka, and nothing will ever change that." I take out the box and get down on one knee.

"Shin… ji…?" My hands were trembling as I opened the box…

A/N- Feel the power of suspense! Sorry, once again, I can't really say anything. Just read the next chapter; Will You, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	60. Will You?

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Chapter 60: Will You?

A/N- I love suspense, I feel pretty powerful right now! What should Asuka say? Now for the chapter you have all been waiting for!

"Shin… ji…?" My hands were trembling as I opened the box. Her eyes lit up as she stared at the one karate diamond white-gold ring. I could feel the burning stare of our guests on me. I heard a few people gasp, then some mumbling. I never averted my stare up into Asuka's eyes.

"Asuka, I want to spend the rest of my life with you, with our child," My hands were shaking and my heart was racing, "Will you marry me?" She just stares at the open box. I stay there for a full minute without saying a word.

"Shinji… we're… too young…" my heart literally felt like it was in my stomach, "I love you… but… I…" I can't take this anymore.

I close my eyes and speak up, "I'm… sorry… I understand…" Feeling defeated, I get up and start walk off. A few people gasp, but I just ignored it. I felt a small tear run down the side of my cheek.

"Yes…" I hear a faint word, "Yes… I will…" I turn to see Asuka standing there with teary eyes. I walk back over to her.

"Asuka…" I take back out the ring and slide it on her finger, "I love you…" she lunges at me and our lips meet. I hear the crowd cheer, including the band, which went back to playing a beautiful song. Asuka pulls back and looks at me with glassy eyes.

"Shinji… I love you too…" Our lips meet again, and soon enough, she pulls back again. She looks at me, then past my head. Her eyes went wide, "Look at your father…" I turn around to see him actually clapping along with everyone else! I brush it off – for now – and take Asuka's hand.

"She said yes!" I knew everyone already knew, but I had to just yell it. Another round of applause rang through the beach.

"So…" Asuka spoke after the applause faded away, "how about that cake?" she laughed a little as she wiped a tear away.

"Already done!" Akagi rolls over a cart full of pieces of cut cake, "Nice gift Shinji." She muttered as she walked past me. We all sat down to eat; Asuka and I got a table all to ourselves. Neither of us knew what to say, until a certain someone came over.

"Shinji, Asuka," we look up to see Gendo standing there… here it comes… "I… want to congratulate you both. I hope you are happy together," was this my father talking?

"Um… thank you…" I was the only one that could speak. He stood there for a second then spoke again.

"All I ask is that this doesn't affect how either of you pilot." Gendo's back. He walks off and gets into his car.

"Wow… that took courage." She was right, I could have easily torn him up right there, but he still came over. We were both still dazed from my proposal, and left without much to say.

"How are the 'bride and groom to be' doing?" Ritsuko came over to us and sat down next to me, "Shinji, why didn't you tell me about this?" she wraps an arm around me.

"I… just wanted to do this on my own…" I knew my face was red, I could feel it.

"Your own? That is so like you! Wait… if you did that on your own… Shinji, did you buy that ring?" I nod slightly, "How did you afford that!" I spent what was left of Cass's payment.

"I still had some money stashed away." She just looked at me with a confused face.

"Well if that was stashed away then you must be loaded! Anyway, any idea when the wedding is going to be?" we've been engaged for ten minutes and she's asking that?

"No idea, we really haven't talked about it," Asuka was finally talking.

"Yeah, we'll male plans later, but for now, this is good with me," I take her hand.

"You two are so cute! I can't believe that you used to actually hate each other. It was really amazing to watch you two grow and become close like this. I'm just so happy for you both!" I was unable to respond to the comment, but Asuka didn't feel the same.

"Thanks… really, you were the only one that was always there for us, you helped us when we needed it. We are in debt to you," I didn't like that last part, but she was right.

"Don't worry about it! I do it cause' I love you both!" that caught me off guard, "Oh! I almost forgot, Gendo wanted me to give this to you." She handed me an envelope, "Well come on! Open it!" I tear it open to see a check.

"Huh… a check. That's real exciting." When I take the check out, a piece of paper falls out. When I unfolded it, I saw a note written on it;

Asuka and Shinji,

I'm glad to know that you will be getting married soon; I know that this will make you both very happy. I know that neither of you are exceptionally fond of me, and I can't blame you. I hope this will make up for some of my actions.

Gendo Ikari

"Oh my god!" I see Asuka with the check in hands.

"What is it?" with a pale face, she hands me the check, "Good God!" Akagi took it from me.

"50,000,000 Yen! This is all for the wedding! This is his personal money too!" there was no way he did that!

"Looks like he was serious!" I take back the check and put it in my back pocket, "I wonder what he really thinks of us getting married. I mean, apparently he's accepting of it, but is he excited? Will he actually be proud of us?" its not like I really cared, it was just that I was curious.

"Like it matters! We have enough money here to throw the best wedding ever!" apparently Asuka was happy about it. I brushed off this and look at Asuka. My eyes eventually make there way to her hand, no sporting a ring. It glittered in the sunlight as she spoke with Ritsuko. All I heard was a faint mumbling; I was too deep in thought.

"What the hell is that!" my I was brought out of this as I heard Asuka yell. I look up to see a huge white monster plummeting towards Earth. Everyone scrambled, I heard a few people scream as they got away. I look back over at the area where the thing looked like it was going to land.

"Hikari! Get out of there!" she was lying on the ground with a terrified look on her face. I glance at her foot… it was completely turned around. She was looking up at the white monster as it came closer, then she looked at me with tears pouring from her eyes. Her lip was quivering out of control as she alternated looking at me and Asuka.

"Hikari!" Asuka starts to run to Hikari, but I grab her and close my eyes.

"HANA!" then a huge crash. Asuka was still thrashing in my arms, but I held her tight. Realizing that she wouldn't walk, I pick her up and run.

"Let me go!" I hold on to her tight until we get to the van. I shove her in and climb to the driver's side. I rev the engine to life and speed off. The alarms begin to blaze as I raced through the streets.

"You bastard! You let her die! You killed her!" Asuka was in tears, and nearly hysterical. I just keep quiet and try to focus on the road, "Is that how you're going to act! You brush off these things like there nothing! When you killed Rei and tried to kill me, you didn't care, when you killed our first child, you didn't care, when you got me pregnant, you didn't care, when Cass died, you didn't care, when you fucked Sam after you thought I died, you didn't care, and now you killed Hikari!" I still stay quiet, "You son of a bitch!" she throws a punch at my face. I just put up my hand and catch it.

"You know damn well none of that is true! I have paid for those sins! You would have never made it to Hikari! You would have died too, Asuka!" she went pale instantly. I put her fist down and go back to driving.

A/N- That… was actually sad, even for me. So, what are these new monsters? How will Shinji, Gahiji and Sam fight them? Find out on the next chapter; Broken, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	61. Broken

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Chapter 61: Broken

A/N- You know what I noticed? Shinji just got done proposing to Asuka, and not a single one of you acknowledge it! 170 pages have been working up to this moment, and not a one of you said a word! Whatever, here's the next chapter, enjoy!

NERV – Command Center

"All Evas ready for launch!" I feel the G-forces pull at me as I rocket towards the surface. Asuka was with us, but I begged her not to fight, and she accepted. Even though Gendo seemed happy about us, he still forced her into combat. It was just me, Sam and Gahiji against an Eva at least four times the size of us.

"How the hell are we supposed to fight this thing?" Gahiji was looking up at its head. This monster was a seriously ugly one. From legs that only extended about fifty feet came a cylinder-like abdomen. Two arms that looked like spaghetti were on either side of it. The abdomen eventually came up to a stub of a head that had two tiny red dots for eyes. Large dots of blue and red freckled its white body, every now and then; one would shine bright, then fade back to a neutral. The short legs only moved it a few yards a second, compared to normal Evas being able to run a good 400 miles per hour.

"Just charge!" Gahiji runs towards the giant.

"Gahiji! Stop!" I couldn't get him to stop running. One of the red lights sprung to life and shot a blinding beam in his direction.

"AHHH!" when the smoke cleared, only half of his Eva was revealed. With only one leg, he tipped to one side onto the ground. Blood was pooling around his body. The screaming stopped, and I think he passed out.

"He's fine, but don't pull what he just did! Use the weapons!" I grab one of the SMG's and fire away. The 'arms' smacked away each of the bullets as they came close. After my clip was empty, I simply threw the gun down.

"How the hell are we supposed to…" one of the tentacles extended and wrapped around my neck.

"Shinji!" Asuka came running, but I look at her with serious eyes. She keeps on running and grabs a hold of the arm. Asuka pulls at it, but that only tightened the grip on my neck. "Let go!" she kicked at the monster's body, only to be thrown away by the other arm.

"Get off of him!" Sam came running and sliced the arm off with a dagger. The Eva howls in pain, and now that I'm able to breath, I yell.

"Asuka! What the hell are you doing! I told you to… what's wrong? Asuka?" her eyes were the size of dinner plates, "Asuka! What's going on?" still no answer came.

"Shinji! You need to kill that Eva now! Asuka needs help!" that's all I needed to hear. I charged at the giant Eva, all the while dodging its beams, and landed on top of it. I shove my blade in its skull and push as hard as I can. The thing soon falls over, and it was dead.

"How's Asuka!" her eyes were still wide.

"She's fine, but we need to get her to the hospital now!" if she's fine, then what's the problem? Why does she need to go to the hospital?

"My…" she finally spoke up "my… water broke…"

---

NERV Hospital – One Hour Later

I was in a room with Asuka and a few doctors, including Ritsuko Akagi. Asuka was gripping my hand as she closed her eyes.

"Damnit! Why did that thing have to come now?" Akagi was keeping an eye on Asuka and Dietlinde's heart rate, "Ugh, two month premature birth! I think it will be okay though, she has the right size, length, and has the correct brain functions. She should be fine." That was mildly calming, "Basically the only bad news is that Asuka is entering labor."

"Gee, do ya think!" Asuka tightened her grip on my hand, "God this sucks!" just then, I remembered her request about me in the delivery room. I decide not to say anything.

"I know that this is stupid, but you need to remember to keep up the breathing during labor. Many women pass out because of this," I really doubt we could have said anything to calm her at this point.

"You think I'm going to forget to breath! Come on! All I need is- Uhhh!" one of the machines started to beep and the grip on my hand was to the point of being painful… really painful!

"There's the first contraction!" one of the doctors said from across the room.

"Damn! That sucks! How long does this normally take!" I've heard of birth sometimes taking three days, but I pray it doesn't take that long, "Shinji, remember our deal, you have to leave!" I couldn't if I wanted to! Her hand was still crushing mine!

"I won't…" Asuka glares at me, "I mean… I can't… sorry…" she releases my hand and pushes me a little. I see a few sweat drops form on her forehead as I unwillingly walk off. "Good luck Asuka…" I mutter as I walk away. In the waiting room I was able to faintly hear Asuka grunting. Hearing her like that was killing me. I never liked to hear people in pain period, but with her, it was different. She rarely showed any sign of weakness, but when she would, it would always be serious. I heard another scream from her. hated to hear that with a passion. Trying to ignore it, I think back to today. The look on Asuka's face when I proposed was priceless. It wasn't more that it was funny then it was shocked, which was another rare emotion from her. My heart literally sank when I walked off, I felt so empty, so alone – again – and, defeated. My mind then went to when the Eva came. Seeing Hikari like that… God… it was horrible. She was always so fragile, so sweet. I had never known her to hurt another being, and when I saw her on the ground, for a second I questioned God. How is it that such an innocent girl would die in such a horrible way? She had a daughter, she was young, and she still had a purpose. There was no reason for her to die other then just out of pure wrath. My whole life I've heard the God was a vengeful being, but then what was the reason for her to die? I feel a tear run down my face. "Damnit…" I bury my face into my hands and try not to cry. After a minute or two, my mind wandered to the car ride here. Asuka was ready to kill me, and she tried to punch me. The things she said… they were like knives. Everything she said was true aside from not caring. I did do all of those things. Did she really think that I didn't care? Did she really think that I was that heartless?

"So, soon you'll be a father. How does it feel?" I hear Sam sit next to me.

"Right now? Not too good. I hate hearing her like that," another loud grunt echoes through the waiting room.

"Me too, but she'll be fine. So, you two are getting married now, huh?" she was trying to relax me, but I just can't.

"Yeah…" she turns her head towards me.

"Well you sound excited! Come on Shinji, buck up! Look, let's just go out for awhile, maybe that'll calm you down." I wasn't going to leave!

"No… I'm not leaving Asuka," Sam grabbed my hand.

"It's not like you're doing her any good out here! Really, what will you accomplish by staying here?" she pulls at my hand, but I thrust out of her grip.

"I said I'm no leaving! You can go if you want, but I'm staying!" she froze in place. The look on her face was blank for a few seconds, and then she finally got some emotion.

"You think you're the only one that cares for her! You think that it's not hurting me too to hear her like that? Don't be stupid Shinji!" I just look back at the ground, "Say something!"

"If you care so much for her, then why don't I see it?" the sound of the contacting flesh echoed through the room.

"Asshole!" she storms off. I feel my cheek starting to turn red, but I didn't really care. I wanted nothing more then to just go in there with Asuka, simply to be with her during this. Knowing that this wasn't going to happen, I lean my head back and close my eyes. By some miracle, I was able to fall asleep with all the grunting and random noises going on.

---

6 Hours Later – Morning

"Shinji! Wake up!" I wake up to a person nudging me. I open my eyes to see Akagi standing there with a rushed look on her face. "Shinji, get up!" I leap out of my chair.

"What? Is something wrong? How's Asuka?" she takes my hand and leads me to the delivery room.

"Nothing is wrong, she has just been asking for you to come in… and she is almost done…" she was asking for me? She's almost done! That was really quick!

"Wait, she's almost done? As in giving birth?" she nods as the door swings open. I see Asuka with a beat-red face and sweat drenched clothes… that was horrible. I have never seen her so helpless, so weak, this was not the Asuka I knew.

"God damnit!" Asuka screamed with her eyes closed. I slowly walk to her side and take her hand… forgetting what happened last time.

"Asuka? How is it-ah!" her hand was crushing mine! Damn, I never knew she was so strong!

"Come on Asuka! One more push!" with a scream, one of the doctors sighed, "And you're done!" Asuka closed her eyes and was breathing heavily. The grip on my hand loosened and then she spoke.

"Bout… time…" I couldn't help but laugh at this.

"Oh shit! Give me her now!" Akagi took Dietlinde and rushed out of the room.

"Hey! What the hell! Come back here!" Asuka shot open her eyes and was yelling. What was going on? "Shinji! Follow her!" she shoved me and I went running to find her. I eventually see her in a room with a large plastic box on a pedestal… with a baby in it.

"Ritsuko… what's going on?" she looked back over at me with puffy red eyes.

"Shinji… I'm so sorry…" my heart sank.

"Sorry… what happened?" she walked over to me and hugged me.

"Premature births don't always go well…"

A/N- Seven months have been working up to this moment, what will happen? Is Dietlinde okay? Find out in the next chapter; Please Sing, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	62. Please Sing

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Chapter 62: Please Sing

A/N- You know what I noticed? Not a single one of you acknowledged the fact that Asuka and Shinji are getting married! There has been 170 pages working up to that, and you don't even comment on it! Come on! Whatever, here's the next chapter, enjoy!

NERV Hospital – Delivery Room

"Shinji! What the hell is going on? Where's Dietlinde?" I'm just now walking into the room, and she's already asking me.

"Asuka… she's…" her face went pale, "Dietlinde's fine, but there are… some complications. The premature birth has affected her." Just then, Akagi walks in.

"Dietlinde hasn't developed full lungs, heart, or skeletal structure. For the time being, we have her on a life support system, and she is stable," I saw her on the life support, it was a small plastic box with wires and tubes going in and out of her body. A pair of gloves stuck out of the box, apparently for contact with the child.

"But… she'll be okay, right?" Asuka has a begging look on her face. Nobody answers, and she blows up, "Talk to me! Is my baby going to be okay! Tell me the truth!"

"You want the truth? The truth is that there is no guarantee that she will live. The truth is that you might lose her!" Damn! What the hell was wrong with Ritsuko? She wasn't exactly being friendly about this. Asuka instantly broke down in tears. I go over and hug her.

"Shinji… I can't lose her…" she wraps her arms around me.

"I know… she'll be fine, don't worry," the truth was that I couldn't stand to lose her either. Even though I've only seen her once, she's a permanent scar in my heart.

"This is all my fault… you told me not to fight…" I lean back and look into her eyes.

"No… this isn't your fault. You shouldn't have been out there in the first place," I knew who was to blame. Once again, she buries her head in my shirt and sobs.

"Do you want to see her?" Akagi spoke up in a harsh tone. What was her problem? Why was she being so heartless about this? Asuka pulled away from me and yelled.

"Yes! Take me to her now!" Ritsuko ordered for a stretcher to come and pick Asuka up, and we were off. The walk there was silent, and painfully awkward. When we finally got to the room, Asuka damn near jumped out of the bed. There in the box was our baby hooked up to a life support system.

"There she is," Akagi was starting to get on my nerves. Asuka's eyes were wide and her face was pale, "You want to hold her?" we were able to do that? Asuka slowly nodded, "Okay, just put your hands in the gloves and then you can make contact with her. Remember, she isn't fully developed, so be careful." Asuka slowly reached into the box and picked up the weak child. She opened her eyes to reveal those same blue eyes as Asuka's. a small patch of red hair was atop her head. Dietlinde definitely took after Asuka, I couldn't even see a trace of myself in her. I was okay with it though, I knew that she would grow up to be just as beautiful as Asuka. Asuka was looking into our baby's eyes, and the same went for Dietlinde. The mother and child were simply staring at each other, as if they were talking. That was one of the sights that would never leave my mind. Asuka closed her eyes and began to hum the same tune as when I was unconscious, and she was smiling not too long after. The child soon closed its eyes too, and was fast asleep. I couldn't help but smile at this sight.

"Shinji?" Asuka turned and looked at me, "Why don't you hold her for awhile?" she was going to give her up? That was fairly surprising. Asuka put Dietlinde down and moved out of the way. Trying to be as careful as I can, I slowly pick her up. Her eyes shot open as she examined the new person towering over her. I just smile down on her, and that seemed to calm the child. She relaxed in my hands, but didn't avert her stare from me. She was so small and looked so weak. I was able to see so much of Asuka in her that it made me grow attached to her instantly. This was our child, and nothing could ever take that away. We were going to raise her together, and enjoy every second of it. Eventually, she looked at Asuka from across the room and put up one arm in the direction of Asuka. She almost shed a tear at this, but instead she just reached over to the box. A mother and child; the closest bond you can have. I pass her back over to Asuka and just stand back. I'd rather see them together anyway. Asuka began to hum that wonderful melody again as Dietlinde let out a content sigh and closed her eyes. This heaven for us lasted for ten minutes, which is when Akagi once again cut in.

"Okay, you both need to get some sleep. Come on Asuka, I'll take you to your room." I could tell that she didn't want to leave, but she put down our baby and was rolled away without resistance. I follow the two women into a new hospital room where Ritsuko leaves the rolling bed. She then leaves without a word.

"How are you feeling?" might as well start a conversation, even if it was a stupid one. Asuka just got done giving birth, and I'm asking how she feels… no, that doesn't sound stupid.

"Mentally? Great, but physically, I feel like hell. You know that feeling you get after being hit by a train?" she chuckled a little, and so did I, "But seriously, that was amazing. I loved to have her in my arms; it felt like the moment lasted forever. Somehow, I just know that she'll be fine; that we'll be fine." She sounded confident.

"Asuka? I've been meaning to ask you something; what is that song you keep humming? It's beautiful," she chuckles a little.

"It's just an old German children's song my mother used to sing to me," she was talking about her mother again, "I think that by me singing it, I'm holding on to what's left of my history. I don't have much to remember from my time living there, so I hold on to what I can." She was holding on to her history? What was that supposed to mean?

"Are… there any words to it?" I was curious now. What little I hear of her past, I like to know as much as I can.

"Yeah, kind of… but you don't want to hear me sing, not the best thing in the world," she sounded like she was joking, but I did want to hear them.

"Yes it is," she blushed a little, "Please? Just once, for me?" with a sigh, she closed her eyes and began to sing. I didn't understand one word of the German song, but it was beautiful. I really had no idea that she could sing like that, it was so calming. The song ended a few minutes later with a graceful high note. "Wow… amazing…" she opened her eyes again and met mine.

"Don't lie, I can't sing worth crap," was she kidding?

"No, really, that was beautiful. I loved it. How can you not think that you can't sing?" she developed a blank stare.

"Seriously, stop." What was the sudden change in mood for? "I… don't like to hear about my singing…" not wanting to set off a fuse, I dropped it… for now.

"Sorry… um… so, how does it feel to be a parent?" she gets her former look of happiness.

"God… I can't even describe it," I never thought anything could make Asuka speechless, "Even seeing her in that thing didn't affect how I felt. All there was in this world was me and her, nothing else." She really was becoming a mother.

"Yeah, same here. You're starting to sound like a mother! It's kinda cute!" she chuckled a little. I could tell that she was exhausted; her eyes were barely half open.

"You know, I never thought I would ever have a child. In fact, I used to cringe at the thought. Whenever I would start my cycle, I would curse the fact that I was even able to bare children. Now look at me, I just got done giving birth and holding our child. Who would have thought this would be me at sixteen…" she closed her eyes, and was fast asleep.

"Sleep well Asuka, you deserve it," with a quick kiss on her forehead I walk off. Out side of the room was Akagi standing there. I close the door behind me and speak to her, "You need something?"

"No, I just came to check on Asuka. How's she doing?" She seemed to be back to normal.

"Asuka's fine just tired. She's asleep right now," Akagi starts to open the door to her room, "Whoa! Hold on, she's finally asleep, don't wake her up. Right now, all she needs is rest." Ritsuko turns and looks at me.

"No, what she needs is my help! During labor, she passed out four times! Four times Shinji! Do you know what that could have done to her brain? I need to check up on her to make sure that she's okay!" she passed out?

"How… did she pass out? What happened to her?" she rolled her eyes and began to rant again.

"I tried to tell her to breathe, and she didn't! That stubborn bitch didn't listen to a word I said, and paid for it!" bitch? Where was this coming from?

"What the hell is your problem? Ever since you took Dietlinde, you've been acting like a heartless demon! What happened? This isn't the caring, helpful, loving Ritsuko I know!" at this point I was staring her down. I wasn't a five and a half foot kid anymore; I was actually able to look down on her… and apparently intimidate her.

"I don't… look, I'm sorry, its just that… never mind…" she was finally about to break.

"Ritsuko, what happened?" she started to walk away, "Hey, don't leave!" I grab her wrist, "Tell me what happened!" I saw a few tears form in her eyes.

"Shinji… you have to know something about Asuka…" this… caught my attention to say the least, "Before you came in, a few complications arose. After she passed out for the last time, her heart began to slow down. Her heart-rate went down to 34 beats per minute. The truth is that she should be dead! She never asked for you, I just wanted you to see her one last time," dead? She was going to die?

"But… she seemed fine when I saw her…" she glared at me.

"You know Asuka; she never shows any signs of weakness, so she didn't say anything." I almost fell to my knees, what if she had died? God… I don't know what I would have done… "Look, I need to check up on her! Let go of me!" I release her and she storms into the room. Not wanting to think about what was just said, I go into the room with Dietlinde in it. The box was dimly lit by a green monitor beside it. I slowly walk over to it and pick her up.

"Hey there…" her eyes slowly open and stare at me. Those blue eyes always memorized me. She began to stir in my arms, and I start to cradle her. "Shhh… I'm here…" I knew that I was talking to a baby, but she seemed to understand me. While she did stop moving, those eyes still looked at me with deep curiosity. I hear a soft whine coming from her, and I literally felt weak at the knees. Just like before, she lifted an arm in the direction that Asuka was in from earlier today. "Mommy's not here right now…" she started to stir again, so I try to calm her. I know that it wasn't nearly as good as Asuka, but I tried to hum the song she had sung to both of us. I'm not sure, but I think I saw a small smile cross her face. by the time the song was over, she was fast asleep. The dead weight of my child was in my arms, and it felt wonderful. I didn't want to leave her, so I drag a chair over with my foot and get comfortable. Seeing her chest slowly rise and fall in my arms was amazing. To think that we made this, that we created life.

"There's the proud father," I heard a faint voice in the backround. I turn my head to see Sam standing there with a blanket.

"Oh… hey Sam…" chalk this up with one of the most awkward moments in my life. She walks over and puts the blue blanket around my shoulders.

"Listen… I'm sorry for what I did. I had no right to hit you like that. I know that you were stressed out of your mind, and I didn't help," well… she was right. Hitting me didn't exactly make me calmer.

"No, I said things that I shouldn't have. I know that you care for Asuka, and yet I made it sound like you hated her. I deserved it… at least you don't hit as hard as her!" she laughed a little. It was true though, I've gotten more bruises, scrapes, and knees to the groin by her than Toji has had punches to the head!

"Still, I'm sorry… so, is this Dietlinde?" how did she even know I was holding a baby?

"Um… yeah… it is. As you know, she was born prematurely, so she's on life support. I'm sure she'll be fine though," Sam took a chair and put it next to mine. While she sat down, she put a hand on the plastic box.

"It's warm…" here comes another one of her deep moments, I just know it, "By the way, was that you singing?" or not.

"Yeah… Asuka sang it to Dietlinde to calm her, so I tried it. Apparently no matter who sings it she falls asleep," even so, it took her twice as long to fall asleep compared to when Asuka sings. The relationship with a mother and child is always stronger then that of the father. I didn't really care though; I was just fine with me to sit back and watching the two together.

"It was beautiful, you know the words?" hell no!

"Well, it's a German song, so no. Asuka does though, maybe you should ask her later," I slowly put down Dietlinde and simply look at her, "Amazing, isn't it? She's definitely Asuka's child. Born two months early, has undeveloped heart and lungs, and yet she still lives on." She is too stubborn to die.

"She's your child too," just then, Dietlinde opened her eyes and lifted up her arms towards me. With a soft whine from Dietlinde, I pick her back up, "see what I mean? She needs both you and Asuka. Only a few hours old, and she's already seeing you both as someone to ask for, someone to lean back on, and someone to call her parents." I feel a small tear form in my eye. Seeing her actually ask for me made me feel needed, it made me feel like I was important. Sam wipes the tear from my cheek and gets up, "Try not to stay in here to long, you need some sleep to. Have a good night," with that, she left the dark room. I begin to hum the song again, but by the time I was done, she was still staring at me.

"Well, I take it you're not tired, huh?" as if to answer my question, she licks her lips, "Okay, you want to hear a story? How about when I first met your mother?" once again, she answers me by lifting up an arm and dropping it on my hand, "You know what you want huh? Well, it was right after the fifth angel, and I was only thirteen at the time. I was on a War ship specifically to meet her. Asuka was the second child, and Unit 02 was on the ship with us. I was there with my friends Toji and Kensuke. We were out on the runway when your mother came out to meet us. When I first saw her, all I saw was a beautiful German redheaded girl, keep in mind that I was a thirteen-year-old, so at the time, I basically saw a well-developed body. Her first words to me were 'So this is the third child? No way!', and then I saw her as a demon. The wind picked up soon after and ended with her sundress flying into the air. Three teenage boys on the ship got a clear view of her panties, and we were all greeted with a slap to the face. Not long after that, the sixth angel attacked, forcing Asuka to fight it in her Eva. I was in there with her, and had a first hand view of just how strong she was. That night, I learned that she was going to move in with me and Misato. Neither of us took this well. That night, Asuka demanded to sleep in a separate room, but this didn't happen. We ended up sleeping only inches from each other, and that was when I was first attracted to her. She falls asleep way before me, and ended up rolling over to face me. She mumbled in her sleep 'Mama' with tears in her eyes, and our lips almost met right then, but I pulled away. It wasn't that I didn't want to kiss her – I did – it was just that because of my age, I didn't know how to react. It wasn't until much later that I learned about her mother. I do admit that back then, I didn't like her at all, in fact, I hated her. Even so, she eventually showed her true colors and blossomed into the person you see now." Dietlinde's eyes were closed and she was breathing slowly. I didn't want her to wake up again, so I hold her in my arms until morning. By the time I felt it was okay for me to leave, I was drop-dead tired. I slowly put the sleeping child down and headed back to Asuka's room. She was asleep to, so I just pull a chair up and lay my head next to her now flat stomach. Within twenty seconds, I was asleep.

A/N- There's Dietlinde! Twenty-one chapters and sixty pages have been working towards this moment, so I hope it was worth it. How will the new parents take care of their baby? Find out in the next chapter; Teddy, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	63. Teddy

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Chapter 63: Teddy

NERV Hospital – Asuka's Room – One Day Later

"So, I heard that you stole my song!" I was in Asuka's room after Akagi got done doing her inspection.

"Um… yeah…" Sam must have spoke to her, "It got Dietlinde to sleep when you did it, so I tried to sing. Hey, it worked!" I didn't tell her about the story, but apparently someone did.

"I'm kidding! Loosen up! I also heard that you're already telling stories to her… nice choice…" was Sam listening in! She never left; she just stood out in the hallway!

"I take it you spoke to Sam?" she smiled and nodded, "Thought so." I gotta watch out for her from now on. Now that she was back to normal, I had to ask something, "Asuka… on the drive to NERV after the Eva attacked, you said that I didn't care about any of the things I have done. Do you really feel that way?" silence shadowed the room for a few seconds, and then with a flat voice, she spoke up.

"No… I was just upset… sorry about that, I didn't mean any of it. It was just that seeing Hikari die like that was just horrible. I have never seen her so scared and I felt like I could have helped in some way…" no she couldn't have.

"You know that you wouldn't have ever made it to her, and neither could I," in reality, both of us would have died if I hadn't run away with her.

"I know… it's just that…" I saw a small quiver on her bottom lip, "she was the only one that actually tried to help us, and seeing her die… it was just too much. What will her daughter think?" that hadn't occurred to me before, she'll just think that her mother up and left her.

"I'd… really rather not talk about it right now…" I've had enough tears shed in the last two days, I didn't need more. Just as I hoped, Asuka dropped it, "Hey, by the way, did you ever open the gift from Gendo?" she reached into the desk beside the bed and pulled it out.

"No, not yet. I was sure that you'd want to be here for it, so I waited. Why don't you open it?" sure, let ME get hit with a dart!

"Er… okay…" I take it from her and – with my eyes closed – I open it up.

"That little bitch!" I open my eyes to see the same gift as Kensuke's. on top was a small note that said 'Don't let it happen again.'

"Forget about him," I was going to get back at him eventually, "He's not worth the trouble. Hey listen, I was talking to Akagi earlier today, and she said that it would be okay for you to get out for awhile. Do you want to?" she damn near jumped out of the bed.

"Hell yes! God, I've been dieing to get out! Let me just get dressed," she started to get out of bed, but I held her back.

"Whoa! Hold on, you didn't let me finish; she also said that you need a wheelchair. Something about your pelvis being out of line, meaning that you can't walk yet." She melted back onto the bed, but was still sitting up.

"Ugh… fine! I guess I am a little sore; it hurts like hell to lift my arms! I just need to get changed… wait… how will I get changed if I can't stand?" good question.

"Uh… hold on, I'll go get a nurse," I start to walk away and she grabs my arm.

"I am NOT going to be dressed by a complete stranger!" then who… ah crap… "You'll have to do it," should have seen that coming.

"M-Me! But Asuka, I can't…" she cut me off.

"Oh shut up! It's not like you haven't seen me before! Fine, if you're going to be a baby about it, I'll just turn around while you do it. Just go grab some clothes out of my room and try to hurry!" I left without a word. God, I can't believe I have to do this! I mean sure, I HAVE seen her before, but this was just weird. I get to her closet and grab one of her shirts that she wore before she got pregnant, a pair of shorts, and painfully, I grab a bra and panties. Not wanting to be seen with these clothes, I put them in a plastic bag and leave. When I get back to her hospital room, I see that she was still wearing her hospital clothes. "Throw those over here," she points to the under-garments and I do as I'm told. "Okay, since you're being such a baby about it, just turn around for a second," I do and after a few minutes, I spoke up.

"What's taking so long?" she sighs.

"I… can't get them on…" crap! "God, this is so embarrassing! I can't even dress myself!" that was why she was embarrassed! My face was ablaze as I turn to help her. Her bra was on her shoulders, but unfastened. Thank god the fasten was on the back! "Okay, now help me with these," she holds up the panties. She hasn't even started with those yet!

"Oh come on! Asuka, are you sure I can't call a nurse?" once again, she shakes her head.

"Stop being a baby! Just make it quick and you'll be done before you know it! Damn, you'd think you would WANT to do this!" well yeah… but… ah forget it! I go down to her feet and quickly pull them up, "There, that wasn't so hard, was it? Now get my shirt," well, this wasn't as bad. I just go behind her and pull the shirt over her head, "Do you seriously need a step-by-step? Next is the shorts and we're done!" keeping my eyes to myself, I pull the shorts up to her hips. "Okay, now we can go,"

"Finally!" I knew that my cheeks were still on fire. I grab the wheelchair that was in the room, pick her up and set her down in it, "Okay, any idea where you want to go?" I roll her out into the hallway and make my way to her van.

"Yeah, can you take me to the mall? I have been wanting to get something," when we get to the van, I set her in the passenger side and get in myself.

"Sure, what are you getting?" she shakes her finger in the air.

"You'll just have to wait to find out!" man I hated when she did that! Asuka has always been a tease, even when we hated each other. The first night she slept at Misato's apartment – and in my room – she wore nothing but a long shirt and panties! She knew exactly what to drive the guys crazy, and it always worked. When we finally got to the mall, needless to say we got a few stares. Everyone in Japan knew us as the invincible pilots, and here I am pushing the Second Child in a wheelchair. "God I'm sick of people staring at us… hold on, stop," I knew she was about to do something, "What the hell do you think you're looking at!" told you.

"Asuka, calm down, we're here to relax remember?" she relaxes back into the chair and I start to walk again, "Hey, I need to know where to go," she laughs a little.

"You're ruining the surprise! Fine, turn left here, and go strait until you hit a wall," she must have been here before; she knew exactly where it was. When I finally get to the store, I see that it was a huge toy store.

"I'm sure this is a stupid question, but why are we here?" I really had no idea/

"Oh come on! Think about it!" a few seconds pass… still nothing, "Ugh! Look, I wanted to get a teddy bear for Dietlinde! We can't be with her all day, so I thought that if we got her something to hold, she'd be fine…" it was amazing to see Asuka like this. She has never acted so generous, even with me.

"Huh… good idea… you really do make a good mother Asuka, seriously," her cheeks went red, but she showed no sign that she knew.

"Well of course it's a good idea!" she's back. I roll her into the store and head for the plush isle.

"Ho… ly… crap…" why would anyone ever feel the need to make so many of them! There were at least four-hundred different stuffed animals.

"Hey! This is a kids store, watch your mouth!" this was coming from the girl that cussed out more people then anyone I know!

"Sorry… see any you like?" I look down at her to see that she was already holding one, "I'll take that as a yes," she held a bear about twice the size of Dietlinde. It was the old fashioned style, no fancy accessories, no distractions, just a simple brown bear.

"How's this one? I don't really want anything she can hurt herself on," I couldn't help but just stare at her and smile. She was examining it like it was a bomb, looking for any off-marks, any 'unsafe' features, and it was actually pretty cute, "what do you think? Hello? Earth to Shinji! Snap out of it!"

"Oh… yeah, it's great, sorry. So is this the one you want?" she looks it over one last time.

"Yeah, this one seems pretty good. Let's go so we can give it to her," I loved to see Asuka this way. It was, of course, a rare sight, so I want to get as much out of it as I could. We go up to the cashier and pay for the bear. The walk back to the van was a long one, mainly because of the killing silence. Neither of us knew what to say, that is until we got to the van.

"So… uh… are you feeling any better then this morning?" I basically set myself up for what came up next.

"Yeah, a little. Actually, way better; we just bought Dietlinde her first toy, and I feel as if things just might be fine. On top of that, I was dressed by a very handsome man…" somehow, that really didn't sound right. Even so, I knew that I was blushing; not much, but enough.

"You're too easy! Really, anything could make you blush!" if she calls me dressing her 'anything', then I've been missing out! I didn't say that of course…

"Yeah well, you know how I am," might as well agree with her… and get her back! "When I'm around such a beautiful woman, I get nervous." There it is! Unfortunately, she didn't even come close to blushing; in fact, I just threw gas on the fire.

"You should! Few eyes lay on this body, and guess what you got to do!" I give up!

"Yep, guess I'm just lucky," I lean over and kiss her on the cheek and drove off. When we get back to the hospital, I didn't even stop by her room; I just rolled Asuka straight to Dietlinde's room. Ritsuko was in there doing some inspection; all the better, we needed her to give this to Dietlinde.

"Oh, hey kids, I was just finishing up my… you two are just too cute! You already bought her a toy? Give it here; I'll put it in with her." Asuka handed Akagi the bear, which then opened a small lid on top of the box and put it in. Dietlinde watched as all of this unfolded, and actually seemed overjoyed to get the bear. I think that she really did see us as her parents, despite her young age. Her eyes would always light up when we entered the room, and she would begin to raise her arms to us. That would always make my heart feel as if it were in my throat. Asuka held the toy tight against her body the whole way here, so I was sure that it had her scent all over it. Dietlinde grabbed on of the stubby arms of it and pulled it to her. Her size made no difference in how she handled it. Within seconds, she was cuddled up tight against her new toy and was inhaling her mother's smell, as if she was familiarizing herself with it. "Well if that isn't the sweetest thing I've seen!" Akagi seemed to be back to normal.

"Yeah, she seems pretty fond of you Asuka… are you okay?" she was bowing her head on covering her eyes.

"Yeah… I'm fine…" I saw a tear fall into her lap, then I hear a sniffle.

"Kills you to see her so attached to you huh? You're her mother; she will love you unconditionally no matter what happens. She's just happy to know that she has somebody in this world that cares for her," yep, she's back. This short speech only made Asuka cry harder.

"It's not that… it's just that now I'm a mother, I… I want to be there for her like my mother wasn't there for me. I don't want Dietlinde to go through what I did. All I want to do is sit at her bedside and cradle her to sleep. I want to hug her and make sure she feels loved. I just want to be a mother…" she was still covering her face. I put a hand under her chin and raise her head to look at me.

"You ARE a mother… you do what you can in this situation, and you're doing a great job. When she gets out of there, you will be able to do all of the things you want, and you'll se just how good of a mother you are," she gave a faint smile, and then Akagi cut in.

"Well if you want to make contact with her so bad, then good news! Dietlinde has healed just fine, so she'll be able to go home with you in two days! I just need to keep her a little longer to make sure she's okay." Asuka shot up out of the chair.

"Are you serious! Ah crap!" she falls back into my arms, "Damn! You weren't kidding about my hips!" I put her back onto the chair.

"Well come on Asuka, now I need to do something," She pushed Asuka out into the hallway and into her room, "Shinji, do you mind lifting her up onto the bed? Try to be careful," what was going on?

"Hey, what are you doing?" I set her down on the bed.

"Just hold still…" Akagi gets on the left side of Asuka and puts a hand on each of her hip bones.

"I asked you a ques- Ah! What are you- Ah! Damn! Enough of that! Ah crap!" Akagi seemed to be moving her hips, then a loud pop echoed through the room.

"I told you not to stand, you dislocated your hips." That sounded like it hurt!

"Well damn! You could have told me to brace myself or something! You just don't go around moving bones without asking! Damn that hurt!" I was right! "Fine, I won't walk again, Shinji, can you put me back in my chair?" I nod and pick her up, "When will I be able to walk?" she turns and looks at Akagi.

"Well, actually right now. I was just going to let you heal on your own, but by you standing up, I had to do it that way. I thought that you wouldn't want to go through the pain of it, so I didn't say anything." Asuka got out of bed on her own and began to walk around.

"So… you're telling me that Shinji didn't have to…" she stopped.

"Have to what? Asuka, what did he… wait… Asuka, why didn't you ask me to do it? Well, I guess no harm done, Shinji even got a few peeks, huh?" we both blush.

"Ritsuko… do you not see the baby in the room? I got more then a few peeks…" I have been trying to lighten up on the subject, but apparently Asuka hasn't.

"That's sick! You'll be lucky to ever sleep with me again!" the whole room – aside from Asuka – laughs at her comment, "Oh shut up!" she storms out of the room.

"Well, looks like all the fun on your honeymoon is gone!" another burst of laughter echoes through the room. When the fun was over, I go into Dietlinde's room to see Asuka singing the song again. I'm not too sure where Akagi went, but I was fine with it. I just stood back and enjoyed her voice. When the song was over, she began to talk to Dietlinde.

"You're daddy's crazy, you know that? But you want to know a secret? I still love him," that was a secret? "Soon, we'll be able to spend some real time together. Just wait a couple more days, and we can spend all the time in the world bonding. Daddy says that you look just like me, and you know what? That means you're a real cutie!" I couldn't help but laugh at her, "You know what else? He can't listen in on a conversation to save his life…" she turns around and smiles at me.

"Hey, I wasn't disagreeing with you. If she grows up to look like you, we'll have too keep an eye on the boys!" I could say that honestly knowing what I thought of when I first met her.

"Where did this sudden burst of humor come from?" even I didn't know! I was just in a really good mood today.

"Well, today has been one of the best days in my life. We got Dietlinde her first toy, you can walk, and she can come out of that damn thing in a couple of days. I'd say that makes for a pretty good attitude. Plus, I got to dress you…" I smirk a little.

"Perv… enough of that around Dietlinde, she's too young," like she knew what we were saying!

"Sorry… mind if I join you in here?" she pats her hand on the chair next to her and I sit down. After a few seconds, we were both singing Dietlinde's favorite song in unison.

A/N- I've been making longer chapters lately, huh? I think it'll be like this from now on. Anyway… a pretty moving chapter. Did you like it? Will Asuka spend as much time with Dietlinde as she said? Find out in the next chapter; Just A Walk, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	64. Just A Walk

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Chapter 64: Just A Walk

NERV – Asuka's Room – Two Days Later

"So, you ready?" I was in Asuka's room waiting for her to get changed so we could go pick up Dietlinde. Akagi said that she was fine to leave the life support, so we could finally bring her home.

"I already told you, no! I'm going as fast as I can! How about you try to do this!" I already did.

"Fine! Come out here!" I was just joking around, but she was serious. She came storming out of the bathroom with nothing but panties on.

"Okay! If you can do so much better, then go!" I quickly turn around.

"S-Sorry… take your time…" with a sigh, she walks back into her bathroom. A few minutes later she comes walking out with her normal clothing style on; a tight shirt with short-shorts. "You're… wearing that! Asuka, are you sure that you should…" she cuts me off.

"Yes! Look, I'm a mother, not a grandmother. As long as I have the body to pull this off, I'll wear it. What, you don't like it?" she does a turn-around in front of me.

"I didn't say that… never mind, let's just go pick her up. I can't wait!" she chuckles a little. Asuka walks over to her closet and pulls out a plaid-fabric stroller, "What's that for?" yet another stupid question.

"What do you think? I want to take her on a walk later on today, so I'm bringing this. I also got the clothes Hikari gave to us for her to wear," she had thought of everything.

"Oh, good idea," not wanting to hear another cocky remark, I lead the way. When we got there, right before I was about to open the door, I noticed something, "Asuka? Are you… wearing a bra?" I really doubted it.

"Well… uh… no…" she stopped there.

"Okay, since you're obviously not going to tell me, I'll just ask. Asuka, why aren't you wearing a bra?" a little sarcasm in my voice was detectable.

"I… wanted to try and breast feed her… she hasn't had any real food since she was born, so… you know…" I chuckled a little, "What's so funny!" she crosses her arms around her chest.

"Nothing, it's just that you're kind of cute when you act like this. Having this baby has really changed you for the better," I give her a sweet smile.

"Yeah well you've changed too… and I like it," she then hugs me tight. Right then I noticed how much shorter she was then me. It wasn't that big of a difference, but enough to notice. When we first met, Asuka was easily two inches taller then me, now she was a good three inches shorter then me, I'd say that she was about five-five. "Hello! You coming?" she snaps me out of my thought and walks into the room.

"Oh, hey Asuka, I was just about to take Dietlinde out… Asuka… are you wearing a bra?" I guess it was really noticeable.

"Why is everyone asking that!" well… because you're not.

"Sorry… here, help me for a second. I need you to distract her while I take out the tubes," Asuka goes over and picks up the bear.

"Okay, look at mommy," she began to talk to Dietlinde until Akagi takes off the tape and needles of the life support. For the first time I heard Dietlinde cry, and I hated it. Now that she was clear of any tubes, Asuka was free to pick her up, "Shhh, I'm here, it's okay…" Asuka starts to cradle her in her arms while slowly humming the German song. Within a minute, the crying stopped, "there, that wasn't so bad was it?" Akagi came back over to me.

"She's a completely different person when she's with Dietlinde, it's kinda odd," she whispered in my ear.

"No, not really, Asuka has always had a compassionate side, she just doesn't - or rather won't -show it too often," with a single pat on the shoulder, she left.

"You must be freezing, huh? Here, let me get you intosome clothes," Asuka set her down on a nearby table and began to put a diaper and clothes on her. How did she learn to do all of that? Dressing a baby is not an easy thing, and she did it like a pro.

"Asuka, where did you learn to do that?" she picks Dietlinde back up and speaks.

"Akagi helped me with it a little yesterday. Listen, I forgot a blanket back in my room, can you go get it?" Dietlinde was staring at her with loving eyes, never averting her stare.

"Sure, I'll be right back," I walk with a fast pace to Asuka's room and grab the pink blanket on the bed. I make it back in the room in about three minutes, "Okay, here I… Asuka… do you have to do that now?" she was already breast feeding!

"Hey, it's not my fault that the crap they fed her had no nutrients! Plus, she started to whine a little, and this got her to calm down," I held out the blanket in her direction, not wanting to talk, "Shinji… I case you can't see, I'm a little busy right now. Can you just throw it in the stroller, thanks," I wait about a minute and then Asuka pulls her away, "that's enough; let's go for a walk, okay?" she softly lets Dietlinde into the stroller and begins to push.

"You know Asuka; you make a really good mother. You're able to communicate with her so easily, I like it," she stopped in her tracks.

"Do you think so? Really? I'm serious Shinji, don't lie about this," what was wrong with her? She was doing great not even a minute ago.

"Really, you should have seen yourself back at the hospital; it was beautiful. You looked so in control, like you knew exactly what you were doing. I like that in you," a large smile from her was my reward. She went on her way again and soon we were outside.

"It's nothing special, I'm just doing what I'm supposed to," it wasn't what she was doing, it was how she did it, "Hey, I just remembered something, you haven't picked her up yet. You haven't even touched her without gloves. Why don't you try it?" she rotates the stroller in my direction.

"No, its okay, I don't want to make her cry," hearing that was just horrible.

"Look, as much as I'm a mother to her, you're a father. Just do it, she knows you," I wonder if she really did. With a last look into Asuka's eyes, I lean down and gently pick up a sleeping Dietlinde. She stirred in my arms for a moment, but then opened her eyes and saw who it was. "See? She's just as comfortable around you as with me," I begin to cradle her, and pretty soon, she was asleep again, but this time in my arms. She was so tiny, so fragile. I couldn't comprehend the fact that I was holding our baby in my arms; all I saw was this beautiful baby that looks at me with loving eyes.

"Well isn't that cute!" I was brought out of my heaven by a familiar voice. I raise my head to see Toji standing there with his normal baseball and glove, "Never thought the great Shinji would be cradling a child, let alone his!" I hated that nickname. Asuka started it back when my sync ratio exceeded hers.

"Oh shut up! At least he has a companionate side!" Toji gets a surprised look on his face when he sees Asuka. He stumbles over to her and puts his hands on her shoulders.

"Asuka… you're hot again!" that was a big mistake standing in front of her like that! With a quick thrust, Asuka's knee was planted between his legs. She seems to do that a lot when she gets pissed… note to self, don't piss off Asuka! He falls to the ground in pain, yet he is still able to make a smartass remark.

"Lucky… Shinji…" he said between breaths. I heard a light chuckle… I think.

"Come on Shinji, we're going to that park," I put Dietlinde back into the stroller – which I could tell she wasn't happy about – and followed Asuka, leaving Toji to recover.

"That looked like it hurt!" yet another pest… Kensuke. Asuka instantly turned red with anger.

"I'll give you ten seconds… nine… eight…" this was going to be good! Asuka began to crack her knuckles as he walked towards her.

"Oh come on! I came to apologize! Please, listen," she opens her eyes.

"One…" Asuka tackles him to the ground, "Give me one reason I shouldn't kick your ass right now!" she was sitting on his stomach with a fist in the air. I just stand there next to the stroller staring at this. I wasn't too sure what to think at this point, it WAS funny, but a little scary. I look down to see Dietlinde propped up staring at her mother.

"Mommy's a little busy right now, just sit tight," I close the fabric cover to keep her from seeing this. With a soft sigh from her, I hear her plopping back onto the pillow.

"I do deserve a beating for what I did but… no wait!" Asuka stopped her fist a few centimeters from his face, "Thank God… as I was saying; I do deserve it, and I know that it was really messed up. Sorry… please don't hit me! Look I even got you a real gift!" he put out his hand which had a small box in it.

"You'd better pray this isn't a joke!" she snatches the box out of his hands and rips off the top. "The hell is this?" I peeked over her shoulder to see a small golden box that looked like it could be opened.

"It's… a music box… the crank is on the bottom," while she sat on top of him, Asuka began to wind it. When she released it the box began to play a sweet melody/

"So, you can be serious some times, huh? Fine, you're off the hook… for now," she steps up and walks back over to me. With a panicked sigh, he runs off, "Stooge."

"So, do you forgive him?" I know I didn't, but she was vengeful, so what she thought was WAY more important.

"Like hell I do! This did make it a LITTLE better though. Okay, now can we go to the park?" with a laugh, I begin to push the stroller.

"You know, even after you have a child, you still manage to intimidate everyone around you. I gotta admit, nice job!" she gave me a light punch to the arm.

"You think that just because I'm a mother now I'll get soft? Keep dreaming!" we find a are just now entering the park.

"No! I don't want you to lose you're strength, that's what attracts me too you. You know that!" we find a bench and sit down. She pulled the stroller to her as she spoke.

"Yeah, I know. Anyway, I was watching you when you were holding Dietlinde… pretty cute. You should have seen her face when you put her down," Asuka reaches in and pulls Dietlinde out, "it was so sad!" Asuka begins to cradle her. I loved this image, the two best women in my life together… of coarse these images never lasted too long. My phone springs to life, causing Dietlinde to perk up and look around.

"Shinji, I need you all back here. Sorry if I'm interrupting something, but I need to speak with you," it was Ritsuko, and she sounded oddly panicked.

"Uh… yeah, sure, we'll be right there. Is anything…" she hangs up.

"Shinji? What's the matter?" I could hear Dietlinde laughing as Asuka played with her.

"Oh, nothing, we should head back, we need to feed Dietlinde some real food," that wasn't exactly a lie, just not the whole truth. She sets down Dietlinde in the stroller and stands up.

"Fine, don't tell me, I'll find out eventually," so will I.

---

NERV Hospital

"Okay, you wanted to talk with us, what's the deal?" I told Asuka about the call on the way here, not being able to keep a secret from her.

"Oh, you're here, good. Well for one, I'm glad that you have adjusted so well to all of this. The only problem with it is that Gendo is butting in. When I showed him the medical bills, he freaked," but this was his granddaughter! He shouldn't care how much it costs!

"Okay… and?" Asuka obviously didn't care about it, and truthfully, neither did I. so what if he loses a few grand?

"AND he said that he won't pay to support Dietlinde anymore! One of you is going to have to get a job," he's not going to support her? I don't see how it even affects him, NERV is paying for it!

"But why won't he help us with this? Does he even realize that this is his granddaughter? And what about the contract?" She shakes her head.

"You know him, he couldn't care less. He simply found a hole in the contract. In there, it says that any direct family member of the pilots will be taken care of, but somehow he made it so that the child of two pilots would cancel this out. He said something about two negatives canceling each other out. The way he sees it is that she's just another mouth to feed. I'm sorry, but there's no way around this," damnit! I just don't get him, he gives us a years pay for a wedding, yet he can't even feed our child! "Hey, at least he's going to pay for the medical expenses…" Listen to me, I sound like a kid. In a way, I had to agree with him. We both took the risk of sleeping together, and we both took the responsibility of caring for Dietlinde. I had no choice; I had to get a job.

"Okay, thanks for your help," I take Asuka's hand and lead her – and the stroller – out of the door.

"Shinji, we just can't let this go! I…" I cut her off.

"We can and we will. Look, it's not that big of a deal. Neither of us has school, so you can stay home and take care of Dietlinde and I'll just work anywhere that'll take me. Depending on how much I'm going to make, we might have to either take food from the cafeteria or just have you breast feed her. Damn… just don't worry about it; I'll take care of everything," my heart was pounding. I was only sixteen, what kind of job can I get that will pay enough?

"You know that I don't want to become a house wife!" but… she's not even a bride yet…

"Asuka, please don't be difficult… I will find another way, but until then, you'll have to. I'm sorry it's like this, but you'll have to deal with it," I knew I had a panicked voice, I could see it in her eyes.

"Shinji, I'm not going to let you do this by yourself! We'll trade off days, you work a day then I work a day. That'll be fine, we can just…" once again, I cut her off.

"Asuka! Just stop! Please! I'm going to do this on my own!" I know that she is having pride issues, but I had to prove something to my father; that I could do this.

"You're not the only one in this! We are both parents! We both have responsibilities! We both…" just then, Dietlinde started to cry. God I hated that sound, it was like knives to me. Asuka reaches into the stroller and picks her up, "Shhh, it's okay, I'm here… Shinji, we'll talk about this later," she cradles Dietlinde until she stops crying.

"Look, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that. I just really want to do this on my own. You don't want to be a 'housewife'? Fine, you don't have to be. I'll just put Dietlinde in a nursery," she instantly shot back… just what I wanted.

"Hell no! Fine, I'll take care of her while you work… but I don't like the fact that you are doing it," her pride could get in the way sometimes.

"It's not like you won't be doing work, Asuka. If it makes a difference, you'll be taking care of Dietlinde; changing diapers, bathing, changing clothes, feeding, you know, the basics. Now please, try not to worry," I kiss both of them on the forehead, "I need to see if I can find a job, I'll be back a little later," I start to walk off, but then I feel a tugging at my sleeve. "Asuka, I told you…" she cut me off.

"Look," I turn my head to see Dietlinde staring at me with those big blue eyes and holding on to my shirt. That almost brought a tear to my eye, "Looks like someone doesn't want you to leave…" I take Dietlinde from Asuka's arms and just smile at her.

"Okay, looks like I'm out numbered here. Daddy can wait until tomorrow," for the first time, she smiles at me. Actually that was the first time she has ever smiled to my knowledge. "Well now how can I leave such a beautiful girl, huh? Come on, it's getting late, let's get you to bed," God, I felt like crying. The mixture of her blue eyes, red hair, and that smile made my heart melt. I knew she was going to grow up to look exactly like Asuka.

"Good idea, except for the fact that her crib isn't set up yet," of course it's not, nothing's ever easy! I set Dietlinde back into the stroller and head for Asuka's room, "Where are you going?" she starts to follow.

"To set it up. It'll just take a few minutes, then we can put her to bed," I open Asuka's door and get the box with the crib still in it.

"Good, she looks exhausted," I rip off the tape and pour the screws, wood, frame, and God only knows what onto the floor.

"Ah shit…" this might take a little longer then I thought.

---

Same Place – Two Hours Later

"Insert peg A into slot H… ugh…" I was almost done with it… even though at this point it'll be worthless. Asuka had already fallen asleep on her bed with Dietlinde on her stomach, using her chest as a pillow. "Come on you son of a bitch…" I mumble in frustration. I swear, this thing was made to piss me off! None of the pieces fit, I've had to forcefully hit them all into place. With one final punch to the side, all of the pieces were together, "Yes!" Oops… please don't wake up… please don't wake up…

"Mmmm…" a soft moan came from Asuka, but she wasn't awake. Thank God! I get up – hoping that the sound of my back cracking didn't wake them up – and get the blankets and mattress. I plop the mattress in place, and then go to get the sheets. Right when I start to put them on, I hear a creaking.

"For the love of God… please don't…" the whole crib comes tumbling down, leaving me holding the sheets, "You little fu…" I was cut off by a tugging at my pants. Crap! Asuka was up! I look over at the bed to see Asuka sleeping… alone. I look down to see Dietlinde staring up at me with a clump of my jeans in her hand. How did she get off the bed! I didn't even know she could crawl yet! "Hey there, couldn't sleep?" I kneel down and pick her up under the arms, "You know what? I'm very good at building things," I whisper to her. A small giggle echoes from her throat, "I don't see how you couldn't sleep, you have the best pillow in the world over there," she was too young to understand sexual innuendos… right? "Anyway, it doesn't look like you'll be sleeping in your crib tonight, how about you just cuddle up with me in the chair?" I switch my position from holding her under the arms to cradling her. I slug over to the recliner chair and fall back. Dietlinde moves around on her own until she gets comfortable on my chest, "Not as much padding as mom's, huh?" I reach over and grab a blanket from behind me. I cover her up to the neck – and only up to my chest – and she was soon asleep. Feeling her warm breath through my shirt was like heaven. I remember just how seeing her breathe made me feel, but this was at least ten times better. I lay my head back and I was soon asleep myself.

A/N- One of my more heart-filling chapters, but I like it all the same. Remember how I said that chapter five was my favorite? Well this one just replaced it! Anyway, back to business; what kind of job will Shinji get? How will Asuka handle taking care of Dietlinde at home by herself? Find out in the next chapter; A Little Help, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	65. A Little Help

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Chapter 65: A Little Help

Same Place – Morning

I wake up to the smell of food being made, but I wasn't able to pinpoint what it was. Dietlinde was still asleep on my chest, and so was a byproduct of her being there; a large drool mark. Truthfully, it didn't really bother me; I just lifted her up and get up.

"Oh! You're up! Breakfast is almost ready," I rub my eyes to see Asuka making breakfast… I had to be dreaming.

"Wow… smells good. What is it?" with my free arm I grab a small milk carton and open it.

"It's a German-style pancake that I learned how to make before I moved here, it's pretty good in my eyes," Knowing that I haven't had anything to drink since yesterday morning, I chug the milk.

"Smells good, but I don't think we can have the normal breakfast drink, this milk tastes a little funny," she whips around her head to look at me, then laughs, "What? What happened?" she points to the milk carton while laughing.

"That's… not… milk…" she couldn't stop laughing. If it wasn't milk, then what was it? "Shinji, try asking before you go drinking things. That wasn't store bought milk!" then where did she… EW!

"Oh man! That's just wrong! You could have warned me! Why did you even put it in a carton!" God! I pray that this never leaves this room!

"Because I didn't have a clean bottle," I'm never going to be able to forget this, "How was it? I was wondering how it tasted." She was asking ME this?

"Ask her!" I point to a giggling Dietlinde, "Can't we feed her normal food yet? This is just getting weird!" she shakes her head.

"Nope, Ritsuko said that she could only drink this week, and she also said that she needed calcium. So, you know, two plus two!" I don't know how Dietlinde drank that stuff, it was nasty! "You need to get ready for today. Remember, you need to find a job, so try and look passable!" I forgot about that.

"Okay, I'll just put Dietlinde in the stroller for now. I had… some trouble with the crib…" she chuckles a little as I enter the bathroom.

"Have a good shower!" I had just started the water and I was getting in… until I saw what was hanging on the shower curtain.

"Okay, you're just doing this on purpose now, aren't you?" she walks past me and grabs the object on the curtain.

"Well excuse my C-cup! Baby…" now I was able to get in and relax! That is until I realize I just walked out into the main room without clothes on… and my daughter in there. Thank god she was in the stroller! Not the best of mornings, but not horrible compared to what I've had in the past. As I relax under the hot water I remember the first morning with Asuka. she awoke in a rage at the fact that 'the man hasn't made food yet'. Come to think of it, that's kind of how I started to cook everyday. When I was done I turned off the water and headed out – this time with a towel on.

"Here, I grabbed you some clothes," she handed me a button-up shirt with a tie and black pants. She sure seemed in control today.

"Oh… thanks," I take them into the bathroom and get dressed. When I walk back out I was greeted with Akagi standing in the doorway; it looked as if she was just arriving.

"Oh, hey Shinji. Getting ready for job interviews?" I nod as I finish doing my tie, "You look pretty handsome when you get dressed up, not that cute boy I used to know!" was Akagi hitting on me! "Any idea where you're even going?"

"Actually, I was just going to wing it. You know, search the newspaper for the de-classifieds, see what I can find," she pulls a folded piece of paper out of her pocket.

"Already done, I've scheduled about five interviews for today, the times are pretty close together, so you'll have to rush it a little. Your first appointment is in about an hour, so hurry up and eat. You look so cute all dressed up like this! Shinji's getting his first job!" she did all of this? I really wouldn't consider this my first job, just my first paying job. Damn, if you don't call fighting giant monsters work, then what do you call it!

"Wow… thanks…" I take the paper from her, "Really, you didn't have to, but thanks," she waves a hand in the air as she walks away. Ritsuko never did know how to make an exit; she always left on an unsaid note or an awkward moment.

"Okay, was it just me or was she hitting on you? That was seriously creepy," Akagi was at least fifteen years older then me. Even so, she still had the body of a twenty-year old. The only reason I have an idea of her age was from seeing her bio a few years back.

"Nah, I doubt it. Is the food ready? It smells great!" just then, she turns the stove off.

"I gotta admit, you're good," she sets up a plate with four of the thick pancakes, "eat up! Tell me if there good or not," she didn't mean that. What she really meant was 'Either eat them or get out,'! As I take my first bite, I see that she was feeding Dietlinde, making it a little herd for me to eat. I don't know what it was about her breast feeding, but it just made me uncomfortable.

"Pretty good, great actually. Where did you learn to cook like this?" it was actually really good. I was a little worried, last time she cooked I damn near died. I fairly convinced that she tried to kill me!

"Well before I moved here, when I was around twelve, one of the NERV staff members taught me how. She was an old rusty woman, and she was quite the bitch if you ask me. I liked her all the same though, and I clung to her like a lost puppy. She eventually warmed up – to me at least – and started to go out of her way to spend time with me. She was the closest thing I ever had to a mother, yet I still never truly loved her. One week before I left, she…" Asuka paused, "she took the cowards path and hung herself. That was yet another reason I didn't let anyone in, because that was then two people that had left me," the odd thing was that her voice wasn't hurt, it didn't even sound bland. In fact, I think I heard some happiness in it.

"I'm sorry you went through that…" nothing was said for awhile.

"Okay, that's enough for right now," I knew that she didn't want to talk about it! "You can have some later," huh? Oh! She's talking to Dietlinde! "Shinji, you should get going, your first appointment is in half an hour," I start to get up and heard one last statement, "Have a nice day!" was that coming from Asuka! She has never said those words to me!

"Uh… thanks… you too," with that I open the door and head for my first interview. When I get to my car and open the door, I see that my hands are shaking slightly. Was I actually nervous? I felt no sign of it, that's the odd part. The whole drive there I saw my hands trembling. When I finally pulled up to the building, my heart actually sank.

"Okay, I'm nervous," I was actually nervous! I would never understand the logic of it; I was able to fight angels and stare down Gendo, but I was nervous about this! I get out of the car and head for the white building. All Akagi wrote down was the time, place, and a short description. The description she wrote for this was 'Keep a constant poise, you'll need it.' Yeah, that was helpful! I enter the building to immediately to see a woman behind the counter. "Excuse me? I have an appointment for ten here and I…" she cut me off.

"Hey Jeff, the first of the beggars is here," she spoke over the intercom. Beggar? How exactly did she figure that?

"Okay, send him in," he had the same tone of voice as Sam, suggesting he was American. She points to a room with a large wooden door and I walk in. I see an American – I was right – sitting behind a wooden desk.

"Hello, my name is Shinji Ikari," I put out my hand, he looks up from his work, stares at it, then goes back to what he was doing. Well, looks like I'll be dealing with an asshole today.

"Take a seat, okay, I don't like to beat around the bush, so let's get right to it shall we? Why do you think you should have the privilege of being my assistant?" assistant! Hell no! I can't stand this guy! If he needed an assistant, then who was that woman outside of his office? With a soft sigh, I remember that I need a job… time to kiss ass.

"Well, I believe that I'm pretty reliable when it comes to getting things done. I also have a…" he cut me off.

"Wait… have I seen somewhere before?" ah, here it comes; "Your name sounds familiar too…" might as well say it.

"Yeah, I'm the pilot of Unit 01," he damn near jumped out of his skin, "are you okay?"

"Yes… I'm sorry… look, you got the job. If you're able to save the world, I'm sure you can organize papers. Now, when can you start?" that's it? All I had to say is that I was a pilot? I'll be using that more often from now on!

"Really? Thank you! I can start at any time," sure, I wasn't looking forward to working with this guy, but at least I had an income now.

"How about tomorrow?" I nod with quite a bit of enthusiasm, "Okay, good. Now, for your pay; you will be paid by the hour, and you will receive a paycheck twice a month. By the hour, you will make 1300 Yen of you complete your work. Your hours will be from eight in the morning to five at night. You have Saturday and Sunday off." That actually sounds pretty good!

A/N- 1300 Yen is about $13.00

"Yeah, that's great! Thank you!" he laughed a little.

"You know, I still don't understand why the government doesn't pay you for piloting. You'd think that saving the world would be worth something! Anyway, I just need your signature and we'll be done," he slides a piece of paper on a clipboard to me. I sign it and get up.

"Once again, thank you," I put out my hand – again – and this time he takes it. With a feeling of victory, I leave the building I will be at for nine hours a day. Now that I actually had a job, I didn't need to worry about the times of the other job interviews, so I just went back home. The drive there was a pleasant one; now I was able to make sure that Dietlinde will be okay. Who needed Gendo anyway? When I finally pull up to the parking lot, I see Gendo apparently waiting for someone. I walk up to him – or rather, he walks to me, and I meet him halfway – and he speeks.

"Where were you?" that harsh tone really had no effect on my poise.

"Getting a job since SOMEONE refuses to help with their grandchild. Why does it matter to you?" I think I actually intimidated him! His face was priceless!

"Well… it seems that most of the NERV staff is on your side, and many are planning a strike…" really? Looks like we do have some friends! "NERV can't afford to let that happen, so I will support your child on one condition; you don't marry Asuka. I believe it will affect how you will perform on the field," like hell I won't!

"Are you serious! If you didn't want us to get married, then what was up with the check!" he lifts his glasses slightly using one finger.

"That came out of NERV's account. One of the employee's requested it," Ritsuko must have bitched at him. I had to remember to thank her… but for now…

"Listen to me you bastard, we WILL be getting married, and you can't do anything about it! I don't need your help to support Dietlinde, you see, I already got a well-paying job, so fuck you!" with a certain 'bird' making an appearance, I walk off, leaving him to fume. I finally get to Asuka's room and see that she was reading a book to Dietlinde. Not wanting to disturb her, I stand back and watch. I tried to recognize what she was reading, but then I realize she was reading in German. It made sense if you thought about it; Dietlinde had the same chance understanding Japanese as she did German. I was mesmerized by Asuka's voice, it always seemed like she was a completely different person when she spoke German, like she was on another planet. She closed the book and turned her head towards me.

"You want me to read you a story?" she brought me out of my trance with a sarcastic remark.

"How about a bedtime story?" she rolled her eyes as I chucked a little.

"That's alright," she acted like I was offering food! "Aren't you supposed to be at… oh, I don't know… a JOB interview right now? What happened?" I walk over and sit next to her.

"I already got a job! Pretty good pay too, I start tomorrow," she cringed a little at the last comment, "I know it's soon, but the sooner I start, the sooner I get my pay."

"Okay, as long as you got it resolved… have you looked at Dietlinde?" I look down into the crib and see her snuggling up to a wadded up shirt.

"Is that… my shirt?" it looked like the one from this morning that I changed out of.

"Yep, she's been holding it since you left. Pretty cute, huh?" more then that, it was heart melting. She looked so peaceful with it, like it was the real thing. As I stared at her, I realized something… she was in a crib.

"Asuka… where did you get this crib? Is this the one I tried to build?" it was! How did she get it done?

"Yeah, I just found it lying on the floor in shambles, so I threw it together. Why didn't you do it?" how the hell did she… that wasn't funny.

"But I… how'd you… it… how the hell did you get it together! I spent all night trying, and you throw it together in half an hour!" was she serious?

"Well… yeah, why? It wasn't that hard. Did you just say that it took you all night to get that far!" she laughs at this, but I was just confused. I was fine with it though, because of my inability to get it done, I was able to bond with Dietlinde a little. I saw that she was now looking up at me while she clutched the shirt in her tiny hand.

"Guess what?" I pick her up and cradle her; "Daddy got a job!" she smiles at my up-beat tone. I set her back down into the crib, "Asuka, we need to talk," she perks up.

"Yeah? What is it?" I take her hand and lead her to the other side of the room, I knew she was going to yell, and I didn't want Dietlinde to get freaked out.

"Look, Gendo tried to stop us from getting married," hey, I was right about her yelling.

"What! But he was the one paying for it!" crap I hated it when she was wrong.

"No, he wasn't. NERV was paying for it. I think Ritsuko talked him into doing it. Look, he really can't do anything; we're the pilots so we can do whatever we want. Hey, if he tries to interfere, just say that you'll refuse to pilot. Simple. Just don't worry about it," she took my word and left it at that.

"Okay, if you say so. You're right though, what CAN he do?" a few seconds pass and she speaks up again "Shinji… I hate to ask this of you… but can you do me a favor?" something bad was coming, I just knew it. She had THAT tone of voice.

"Um… sure, what is it?" she starts to blush very slightly.

"Have you… noticed anything different about me?" were we going to have this talk again?

"You mean since the baby?" she nods, "Well, your personality for one, why?" she shook her head.

"No, not that. I mean my body, have you noticed anything different about my body?" not much really.

"Well, aside from you not wearing a bra lately, no. You already said why you don't though, it's to feed Dietlinde." Once again, she shook her head.

"Close, but no. I lied about that, that's not the reason I'm not wearing a bra…" now I'm lost, "Damn! Are you seriously telling me you haven't noticed? God, I can't wear one because I can't!" she can't?

"Noticed what?" now she was blushing quite a bit.

"Look, after I gave birth, I started to… grow…" grow? Oh!

"Oh that! Yeah, I've known that," I did, but I shouldn't have said that/

"So you have noticed? Hey, I'm not complaining, but it's embarrassing as hell! I need you to go to the store and pick me up another bra," me! "I would go, but like I said, it's embarrassing to go out like this…" I swear, she makes that face on purpose!

"Fine… tell me what I need to get…" God this was going to be embarrassing!

"Really? Wow… thanks… okay, I need a large C-cup with a back clasp," even hearing about it was bad, but actually buying it was going to kill me!

"Ugh… I'll be back…" this was going to be a long day…

A/N- I'm trying to enter some humor into my story, is it working? If not, tell me what I could change. Anyway… the next chapter will be a major filler, but I think it'll be pretty good. See what I mean in the next chapter; A Single Gift, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	66. A Single Gift

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Chapter 66: A Single Gift

**A/N- With this chapter, I break 100,000 words! Thanks for sticking with me this far, I appreciate it. I hope you like this chapter; I know I enjoyed writing it! Now on with the story!**

Mall – 3:00 PM – Same Day

I was in the shopping mall getting Asuka her 'necessities'. I have been outside of Victoria Secret for about ten minutes now, just contemplating how exactly I'm going to ask for it. I knew I was going to need help finding it – I wasn't exactly experienced in finding bras – so I had to think on what I was going to say… or not.

"Ah screw it!" with a sudden burst of courage, I walk inside.

"Uh… may I help you young man?" I see a woman walk up to me with a sarcastic look on her face, "Or are you just in here to drool at the pictures?"

"I… uh… I need a… look, before I make myself look even stupider, I am not some kind of pervert. What I'm getting is for my fiancé," did I just say that? It just hit me… Asuka was my fiancé!

"Okay, so you're looking for something a little sexy?" I swear, my face felt like it was on fire.

"No! I… I just need a… bra…" God this was embarrassing!

"Okay, sure, what size? We got A small and large, B small and large, C small and large, and D," she sure knew her stuff, huh?

"C… large…" she laughed a little.

"Okay, one more thing, what color?" was she trying to torture me! How the hell was I supposed to know!

"I really don't know… white?" I just said the first thing that came to mind. With that, she walks off to get it. I was left in this store by myself… and I was sixteen… no, that didn't look odd at all. While I waited for her to come back, a certain silk 'dress' caught my eye. It was a tiny black night-dress which ended at the mid-thigh. It also had spaghetti straps and a low-cut V collar.

"Okay, I'm back… you want that too?" the woman stood there with the bra in her hands and looking at me. Actually, I was thinking of getting it. Why not?

"Yeah, thanks," with a small chuckle, she takes one of the night-dresses off of the shelf after getting Asuka's size. She walked over to the cash register and rang me up.

"Okay, that'll be 4000 Yen," Damn! That much? Hey, as long as I got out of here as soon as possible, I was fine. After giving her the money, I basically run out of the store. Now I had to make my way through the mall with my purchase in hand… crap. Needless to say I got more then a few stares. When I finally get to my car, I shove the items under my seat and rush off.

"Asuka, you'd better be right about the size!" I yell into the air as I drive. By the time I get to Asuka's room, my blush has subsided and I was back to normal… well… as normal as I can get.

"Oh, you're back. Did you get it?" I nod as I hold the bag behind my back, "Well then let me have it!"

"Okay, here's the bra, but I also got you something else…" I hand her the bag, "hope you like it," she opens the bag and gasps.

"You… bought this?" she took out the silk dress and held it up, "Not bad… you have good taste… wanna see it?" hello!

"But… Dietlinde… we can't do anything in front of her," she waves a hand in the air.

"I could get Akagi to watch her for awhile tonight. So we have a date?" I guess we could use some relaxation time. A few hours with just me and Asuka, that sounded pretty nice.

---

Shinji's Room – 8:00 PM

I was in my room getting ready for our time together tonight. I really didn't have much to do other then shower and shave. Now I just had to wait for Asuka's phone call. Just then, my phone began to ring; speak of the devil! I answer and she doesn't even give me a chance to say hello.

"Shin… ji!" she sang into the phone, "Come on in to see a surprise…" then she hung up. I literally went running out of my room and to hers, but of course I knock first. "Come in!" slowly I open the door to see a dimly lit room with candles here and there. The room had the sweet aroma of flowers, but it wasn't too strong or too weak, so it made quite the impression. My eyes eventually make their way to her bed, where I saw that she was wearing the dress and was laying on her side with an arm loosely draped on her body. The silk hugged her perfectly, and the sheen was beautiful. it was definitely worth the money! "You like?"

"Yeah, I do…" she invites me over by patting on the bed.

"Well come on then, you know I hate to be teased," SHE hated to be teased? Who was the one wearing the sexy silk dress right now? Like I was complaining! I slowly walk over to the bed and crawled in. Just like when we were on vacation, she positioned herself over me and began to softly kiss me, eventually making her way up into a full passionate embrace. When she pulled back, I spoke up.

"You sure like to be in control, huh?" she chuckled a little as she swung her hair out of the way.

"Yeah, I do… why do you ask?" like she didn't know.

"Well, for one, you always are the one to start these things. And two… you're always on top…" a little awkward, but true.

"Aw, is my little Shinji feeling defenseless? It doesn't matter anyway," something was coming, and I didn't like it, "we can't have sex anytime soon. Ritsuko told me I couldn't. Now, where were we?" that wasn't at all what I was getting at, I was just curious to know why she did this. Asuka leaned back in for another long kiss. It was then that I realized something… she thought I was aiming for sex! I pull back – not an easy task seeing as I had my head on a pillowless bed – and rephrase my statement.

"Whoa, hold on! I bought you this just as a gift; I wasn't trying to get anything in return! Sorry if it came across that way, I didn't mean to…" she put a finger on my mouth.

"I was kidding! And another thing, stop saying sorry in situations like this, I really hate it," with that, she leaned in again and embraced me. This position lasted for what seemed like hours... that is until a knocking came at the door. "Coming!" She crawls off of me and walks to the door.

"Whoa! Asuka, you can't answer the door like that!" I grab her wrist. What if it was Gendo or Akagi? They would kill us!

"Why? I don't care what they think!" she yanks her arm away and walks to the door. I'm so screwed! She opens it to reveal Gahiji… perfect. I'd rather it be an angel then him!

"A-Asuka...? You're…" I swear, he began to drool at this point.

"Hey! Quit staring at her!" I leap out of bed and chase him down. Truthfully, I didn't like him at all. I always see him gawking at Asuka even though he knows damn well we are engaged.

"Whoa! Calm dow- ah crap!" he jetted to his room when he saw me chasing after him.

"Asshole!" Asuka yells at him as he turns the corner, "Once again, you were right Shinji… now, let's get back in bed, huh?"

---

Half An Hour Later

For about twenty minutes now, we've just been laying back relaxing. Asuka had her head resting on my chest, rhythmically rocking up and down with each of my breaths, and with a leg around mine. One of my arms was resting on her bare shoulder while the other loosely hung off the side of the king sized bed. All of the candles have burnt out, leaving the room pitch black aside from a small stream of light gleaming from the small crack at the bottom of the door. In the past couple of months we have become so familiar with each other's bodies that it didn't affect how we acted to this envelope of darkness. Even in this darkness, I was still able to recognize every sound made. A soft sigh here, a cracking bone there, I knew my surroundings perfectly. Her beautiful red hair draped loosely on my chest and neck, giving me more then a small smell of her fruit shampoo. Even after giving birth and taking care of Dietlinde for the whole day, she still managed to find time to work on her body. Not a single feature was out of place; even minute details such as giving her skin an ample amount of lotion to soften it to the point of it feeling like silk were taken care of. I could honestly say that I wasn't able to find a single feature unappealing. Many women take care of their bodies by dieting, surgeries, even to go as far as to paying hundreds of thousands of Yen on a dress that will only be worn once. Asuka was different though, she was able to make an outfit look just as good for an amount of money that would be considered chump-change – not to say she didn't like to splurge now and then. She just had the body for it; the constant training sessions for our Evas had shaped her body perfectly muscular wise.

While lying there, we both had tried to start a conversation, but they were soon shot down simply out of being tired. I could have easily gone to sleep right then; with the combined forces of feeling her near me, the black room and her breath on my chest were like tranquilizers. Truthfully, being in this position was ten times better then simply making out. I always did like to relax with people, but that normally meant dealing with having to speak on trivial matters. This was nice, the quiet, the serenity, the unknowing of it all. Apparently, she felt the same. A soft, cute snoring was escaping from her. I wanted nothing more then to just close my eyes and join her in that heaven. I knew that Gendo had an eye on her room, so I couldn't spend the night, and plus, we – or rather, I – had to pick up Dietlinde pretty soon. Neither of us wanted to go though; I was just fine with sharing the warmth of her body and I'm sure she felt the same. I had to go get Dietlinde though, it was getting late. I grab a pillow and as I slide out of the bed, I slide the pillow under her head, not wanting to wake her up. I slowly creep over to the door and slide out. I walk towards Ritsuko's office, where she said she would be until late. I knock on the door and was met with a reply.

"Come in!" I open the door to see Akagi buried neck deep in papers with Dietlinde's crib next to her desk, "Oh, hey Shinji, how'd you like your time alone with Asuka? I take it that it went well, huh?" I instantly knew what she was talking about. Please tell me Asuka didn't wear lipstick!

"Um… yeah…" I rub my lips and feel nothing there. Then I look down to see my shirt wrinkled all to hell. I guess that was proof enough of what went on, "Look before you say anything we didn't have…" she cut me off.

"Oh, don't worry, I know you didn't. Asuka wouldn't have been physically able to. So you guys just kissed for awhile, it doesn't matter. That's normal for kids your age," right then, I realized that talking about this with her wasn't embarrassing at all. In a weak sense, I guess I was starting to see her as a guardian, "You here to pick up Dietlinde? I think she's asleep right now, but the crib has wheels, you can just roll her out." I look into the crib to see Dietlinde snuggling up to the bear we had gotten for her. She was apparently asleep, so I say my goodbyes with a wave and roll her out of the room. The small metal wheels had absolutely no shocks, so ever bump rattled the crib. I tried to walk slow as I could, but she eventually woke up. Instead of crying like most babies would, she just relaxed and looked up at me as I walked.

"We're almost there, you can go back to sleep soon," I whisper into her crib. As if to answer, she shut her eyes. When I got back into Asuka's room, I saw that it was still pitch black, and she was still on the pillow. Before I close the door, I put the crib in place. When I shut the door again, darkness once again enveloped the room. I felt my way over to the bed and slid Asuka's head back onto my chest. Akagi said herself that nothing could happen, so what could Gendo do? Once again, she swings her leg around mine. Now I was actually able to go to sleep without worry. I put an arm on hers and close my eyes. This was truly heaven for me; Asuka laying on me, Dietlinde on the other side of the room, and the pure darkness made this moment one that I will never forget.

A/N- There you go! I know that it was a filler, but I like it all the same. Not much to say about this chapter, but the next one will be pretty good. Will Gendo get mad at them? What would he do? Find out in the next chapter; First Day, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	67. First Day

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

**A/N- I have revised chapters 1 and 41, check them out. I think you'll like the changes!**

Chapter 67: First Day

Morning – Same Place

I'm just coming out of my wonderful sleep, seeing that Asuka was still sleeping on my chest. I glance over at the clock, which read 6:00 AM. I still had two hours before I had to be at work, which left me plenty of time to relax. Asuka was in the exact same position as last night, aside from the arm she now had resting on my stomach. She was still asleep… I think… in any case, she had her eyes closed. I was able to see Dietlinde through the wooden bars of the crib. She was lying on top of the bear with her eyes closed. I didn't want to get up by any means, but I knew I had to start getting ready. Just like last night, I get out of bed while I slide a pillow under Asuka's head. I creep into the bathroom and turn on the shower and get in. The warm water washed away any thoughts of distress. When I was done, I walk back out into the main room with my old clothes on. I really needed to get some clothes in here, it's not like I wouldn't use them. Asuka was still asleep on the bed. That was fairly surprising; normally she would wake up at any sign of noise. Looks like I was going to leave without speaking to her. I open the door and start to walk out.

"You're just going to leave? No goodbye, no kiss, no nothing?" I hear a sarcastic voice from behind me.

"Sorry, I thought you were asleep," she shakes her head.

"Nope… I haven't been asleep for about two hours now." Two hours!

"Then why didn't you say anything when I woke up?" she chuckles a little.

"Because I was comfortable," so was I, "well, I'll see you later. Have a good day at work," she sounded like a typical house wife! I go over and kiss her, then a sleeping Dietlinde. While I leave the room, I realize that I wouldn't be back until five; that will be the most time spent away from Asuka and Dietlinde in awhile. I really do wonder if Dietlinde will realize that I'm gone, and if she does, will she miss me? I try to push these thoughts out of my mind, of course she'd miss me, I'm her father. I enter my room and get dressed as quickly as I could; I really wanted to make a good first impression and show up at least a few minutes early. Five minutes later, I was in a white button-up shirt and black pants and heading out the door.

---

Ten Minutes Later

I was just pulling up to the large white building and mentally preparing for my first day of work. Sure, it's not like this was my first job. In the sense of the word, I've had two other jobs; a maid for Asuka and Misato when we lived together and piloting Eva. Those two jobs – I was sure – were harder then this could ever be. I walk into the building with a slight sense on confidence and see the same woman as before.

"Oh, you're here. Jeff's in his office, he said for you to go in there when you got here," with a wave, in enter his office. I had to admit, I was not looking forward to working with her. Look's like I'll just have to deal with it though, I doubt she'll be leaving anytime soon. I knock on the door, not wanting to offend him in any way.

"Come in!" a quick, harsh voice echoed through the wooden door. Slowly, I creek open the door, "Oh! It's you! Come here," he pointed to a chair opposite to the desk. Now that he seemed a little happier, I was able to approach him. Before I was able to say anything, he speaks up, "Look, I'm sorry. I completely forgot to tell you what we even do here! You will be my assistant – as you already know – but this company supplies the materials used to make various electronics. You know; silicon, welding, plastic, that sort of thing. This company is called _Electro-need_," the name sounded like it was in English.

"Oh, okay. I didn't even realize you didn't tell me!" he began to laugh and – trying to brown-nose – I join him.

"Okay, but seriously, let's get down to business," he gets up out of his chair and so do I, "you will be working where the young lady you saw from before is." Maybe she was getting fired!

"But… what about her?" I needed to know if she was leaving.

"That _bitch_ is leaving! She's screwed up more sales then she's screwed men!" maybe I should have kept my mouth shut. She just glares over at him and then goes back to filing her fingernails, "Yeah, you keep on doing that! It's the only thing you're good for!" note to self; don't piss of Jeff, "Sorry about that, anyway, you will basically be in charge of managing all of my appointments, billing, and any other tasks I may have for you. Sound good?" I nod, "Okay, now to take out the trash. Come on! I gave you your two week notice, now get out! Take your damn pictures with you!" the woman casually gets up, flips him the bird, and walks away with an arm full of her belongings.

"I… uh… what do I do first?" trying to avoid his wrath, I try to seem focused on work.

"I'm glad you asked! I need you to organize the billing information for today. All of it is in the drawer to your left. You will need to organize it by date, name, and amount due by the end of the day. The copy machine is over there and if you have any questions, feel free to ask!" he sure had quite the mood swing. I sit down in the leather chair and pull out the five-inch thick wad of paper. I had to do all of this! "Okay, if that's all you need, I'll be going back into my office now," with a friendly wave, he walked off; leaving me with this mess.

"Ugh… what did I expect for that much money? Might as well get to work…" and work I did. For seven hours, I slave over this mess he called bills. I made copies, organized, put into the computer, and damn nearly set aflame to these papers. But when I finally got done – which was right on five – Jeff came out of his office.

"Wow! You finished it all? Good for you! Tomorrow, you get to do it all over again!" WHAT! He'd better be kidding!

"But… I… the paper…" he starts to laugh.

"Just messin' with ya! That was just accumulated over two months of laziness; you will only have about two pages of that per day. Okay, you go home to your fiancé and kid now, have a nice night!" how'd he know I had a family?

"Thanks… one question though. How did you know about them?" he waved his hand in the air as he went back to his office.

"Your father called. He said something about you not working hard enough, but I can see he was mistaken!" the door closes behind him. That's it; I'm going to have a LONG talk with him. With a loud sigh, I leave the building and head home. The car ride there was agonizing, I have been thinking about those two all day, and at this point, I HAD to see them. Thank God for the 190 horsepower engine! When I finally get to the parking lot, I literally ran to Asuka's room. Out of habit – and experience – I knock at her door.

"Come in!" I open the door to see an empty room.

"Asuka? Where are you?" I start to walk in.

"In the bathroom! Come in!" What!

"Asuka! We can't…" she cut me off.

"Oh shut up! I'm giving Dietlinde a bath! God! How kinky do you think I am!" come to think of it, Dietlinde wasn't in her crib. I open the door to see Asuka bathing Dietlinde. When I walk into the room, Dietlinde gets a wide smile on her face.

"Hey there!" those two simple words made her giggle. She was such a happy child, I've only seen her cry twice now and I've seen her smile on a daily basis.

"So, how was your first day at work? You look like hell," I look over at the mirror and actually laugh at what I see. Bags hung from my blood-shot eyes, making me look like some bad Halloween costume.

"Well, not as bad as I thought it was going to be, but still bad. How was your day?" she shrugged.

"Normal, nothing special really happened around here. Actually, I'm board out of my mind!" I had an idea to get her out of boredom.

"Hey, finish up with Dietlinde and I'll get you out of boredom. You wanna piss off Gendo?" She got a wide smile. She picked Dietlinde up, dried her off and dressed her in record time.

"You think Ritsuko will take care of her?" I nod and she walks over to Ritsuko's office. A few minutes later she comes back with a smile on, "Well come on! What do you have in mind?" she grabs my wrist and drags me to his office.

"Just follow what I say; you'll know what I'm talking about. Can I walk on my own now?" she lets go of my wrist, but still keeps up her steady pace. When we finally get to his office door, we both stop, "You knock…" wasn't she the one that was excited about this!

"Whatever," I give a loud, hard knock and was greeted with harsh 'What?' "Can we come in?"

"Yes," I open the door to see a dimly lit room with him behind the desk, "What do you want?"

"We needed to talk with you. We have a few questions," he raises his head slightly and the conversation begins.

A/N- A kinda short chapter, but I felt I made a big enough impact. What will Shinji's questions be? Will Gendo answer? Find out in the next chapter; Tell Me Everything, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	68. Tell Me Everything

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

**A/N- Okay, I'm going to start doing something beginning with this chapter. From now on, I will not post a new chapter until I get five or more reviews. I'm not doing this to be cruel, but I feel like I'm post chapters too fast, so I'm setting a 'timer' so to speak. You are free to curse me out for this, but I will just ignore it. Now on with the story!**

Chapter 68: Tell Me Everything

Same Place

"We needed to talk with you. We have a few questions," he raises his head slightly and the conversation begins.

"You do realize that I'm busy, right? Go back to your cursed child," what the hell!

"You son of a bitch!" I lunge at him and punch him in the face, knocking his glasses to the floor, "Say that again! I dare you!" he just sits there with his normal expressionless face, "Now you WILL listen to us and you WILL answer us! You got it?" he doesn't lose his composure, and sits still, "Good boy," just thought I'd throw that in there! "Now, first off, what the hell are those white Evas? I heard you say SEELE, but what is that?" he stands up.

"You really want to know? Fine, but don't blame me if you don't like the answers I give you. SEELE is the organization that is above NERV, they control the choices made for the Evas. After they learned how to make a self-piloted Eva, they want the other ones gone." I thought NERV was on top?

"Why do they want our Evas gone? And why do you care? If they found an Eva that is self piloted, we're out of danger. Just let them have em!" he laughs a little, "What the hell is so funny!"

"There is so much you don't know… they don't want only the Evas gone, they want YOU gone too, especially Ms. Langley here," why Asuka?

"Wait, what! Why do they want me?" he once again smiled.

"You should be happy, they want you alive. You have proven yourself to be the best fighter out of all the pilots. They want to make an Eva in your image, with your fighting style, your personality, and your soul." Soul?

"Why are you protecting us then? Why do you care?" he walked over to me and stood directly in front of me.

"I can't lose Unit 01… and I won't lose you kids," what was so special about Unit 01?

"Why can't you lose Unit 01 or us?" he once again smiled.

"Why can't I lose you kids? How heartless do you think I am? Shinji, you are my son whether you like it or not. Despite what you may think, I love you. Asuka is the mother of my grandchild, and Sam… her parents were close friends of your mother…" Was he being… nice?

"You… love…" I knew my eyes were wide as dinner plates. He just nodded with his normal face on, "W-What's so special about my Eva?" my voice was uneasy.

"That… is a conversation for a later time…" like hell it was!

"No, you are going to tell us now!" he just stood there.

"Shinji, did you love your mother?" I only knew her for two years before she died, but I have vivid memories of her.

"Of course I did! What does she have to do with this?" he went to go sit back down.

"Your mother never really died. After you were born, the Eva project began. Rei was the first person to enter an Eva, as you know. Your mother was the second, assigned to pilot Unit 01," she was what! "On the first activation test with Unit 00, Rei was nearly killed, and on the first activation test with Unit 01, you mother disappeared." I'm not in the mood for bedtime stories.

"Don't fuck with me! I'm not in the mood for lies!" he looked up at me from his chair.

"You don't have to believe me, but it's the truth. After we did the sync test with her, it came out to be at a 78, more then enough to start the Eva. When she entered Unit 01 and tried to start it, she screamed, then the comm. link went black. When we opened up her entry plug, nothing but LCL was found. The MAGI is 89 sure that her soul still inhabits you Eva. If you don't want to or can't believe this, then explain how you occasionally black out in fights and end up annihilating any of your foes, even when you have a zero battery charge?" just like when I went up against the twelfth angel.

"I… can't… if you think she's in there, then why haven't you tried to get her out?" he nods his head.

"We've spent over a thousand hours trying to do just that, it's proven to be impossible." Should have seen that coming. He brought up my hopes, then shot them down like an elk. "Is that all?" like hell it was!

"No, there's one more thing; why do you hate Dietlinde so much? She's only a baby!" Asuka finally spoke up.

"I don't hate her; I hate how she was conceived. Two kids having some fun went a little too far and slept together, two pilots none the less. I don't care if your getting married now, 'Dietlinde' as you like to call her is nothing but a sin. Hell, her parents are too," he'd better watch what he says, "You're a killer and Asuka's basically a whore," hope he likes blood.

"You know what? I'm sick of you insulting my family!" I reach over his desk and grab him by the shirt, "You can say whatever you want about me, but NEVER insult Asuka or Dietlinde!" he just stared at me.

"I only speak the truth," With that, I bring him up to eye level.

"Yeah? Well so do I; one of these days, I WILL kill you. But as for right now," I let go of his shirt, and as he begins to brush off, I punch him square in the nose. He falls back onto the ground and starts to get up again, "So Asuka's a whore, huh?" I step on his chest to keep him down, "How about you say that again?" his back is pinned against the floor, and I just keep adding more pressure. A soft grunt comes from him "What? I couldn't hear you, say again?" another grunt – this time louder – echoes from his throat. He is finally starting to show pain by squinting his eyes, "I still can't hear you! Speak up if you want to be heard! Isn't that what you always told me?" he finally mumbled what sounded like words.

"I… can't…" at this point, I'm basically pushing as hard as I can on him.

"What? You can't what?" he just kept quiet, "Talk!" I suddenly feel a pulling at my shirt.

"Shinji! That's enough!" I turn to see Asuka tugging at my shirt, "Get off of him!" why was she defending him?

"You got off easy you old prick," I step off him and he inhales a deep breath. Nothing more said, Asuka and I walk off, "Why'd you stop me?" I ask when we exit the room.

"I can't have you going to prison again! I will not let Dietlinde grow up without a father!" was I killing him? Crap! He couldn't breath! I could have killed him! There were mixed emotions with that statement. On one hand, there was nothing more I wanted on the earth then to see him die, but on the other hand, I couldn't stand to go to prison and miss out on Dietlinde's childhood.

"Sorry, just sixteen years of anger coming out, it won't happen again," she looks at me and smiles.

"Hey, I didn't say you couldn't do it again, I said don't kill him. Beat on him all you want," we both laughed at her comment. That I could work with! "How about you go pick up Dietlinde? Looks like you could use a stress reliever," beating on Gendo was a pretty good one too!

"Sure, I'll meet you back in your room," with a wave, she turns the corner into her room. I keep walking until I get to Akagi's office. Her door was open, so I just walked in.

"Oh! Hi Shinji, here to pick up Dietlinde?" to my surprise, she was holding Dietlinde in her arms.

"Uh… yeah," she hands Dietlinde to me.

"Have a good day!" with that, she began to type on the computer. Did she skip working to hold Dietlinde? She really was part of the family. Without a word – basically because Akagi seemed to be swamped with work – I head out. Dietlinde looks up at me the whole way there which made me realize something; she did see me as a father. I was bale to make her happy, I was able to make her laugh, and for that, she saw me as a father. I loved that. When I finally reach Asuka's room – which had become my home lately – I see that she was in the shower… well… not SEE, but heard. I set Dietlinde in her crib and lay down on Asuka's bed. She always kept it so messy, it was practically never made. I was okay with it though, it was comfortable enough without being made. I lay my head on her pillow and inhale her sweet smell. My whole life I was never going to forget jut how radiant her aroma was. Man, I sound like a perv talking like this! But it was true, nothing calmed me more then this… well… aside from actually BEING with her.

"You enjoying yourself?" I look up to see Asuka standing there in a towel. I didn't even hear her turn off the shower, let alone walk out of the bathroom.

"Sorry, I was just relaxing." She heads over to her closet.

"Sure you were, now turn around for a second… or not, I don't care," like I've said before, we have become so familiar with each other's bodies, that sort of thing didn't really bother either of us. Just out of trying to be respectful, I turn around. A few minutes later, she spoke up again, "Okay, you can look now," I turn around to see her in the silk night-dress I bought her.

"Asuka? Why are you wearing that?" she just looks at me with a sarcastic smile.

"You said it was a gift, right? Well it comfortable, so I'm going to wear it. It that okay? Or will it make you uncomfortable?" she smiled as she spoke that last part.

"No, I'm fine with it. I was just curious," just then, a loud alarm starts to blaze. "Looks like SEELE is back," after grabbing Dietlinde, we both jet out.

A/N- SEELE is back for another attack! Will there be new Evas? Will our young pilots be able to beat them? Can I come up with worse questions? Find out in the next chapter; Tiny, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	69. Tiny

Chapter 69: Tiny

A/N- Sorry it took me so long to post this new chapter, but now that I'm writing two stories, I'm not going nearly as fast as before. Let me rephrase my request for reviews; when I get five or more reviews, I will post the chapter as soon as I can. Sorry again, now here's the chapter you've all been waiting for!

A/A/N- This chapter has been proof-read by Frost-Eva-00. Thanks for the help Frost!

NERV Command Center

We were just dropping off Dietlinde with Ritsuko before we got into our Evas. Unfortunately, we haven't changed into our plug suits yet.

"Asuka… how about you wear that only around Shinji, huh?" I look over to see that Asuka was still in the silk night-dress. Why did we always start off battled either embarrassed or simply unable to fight?

"Shut up! Now take Dietlinde," Asuka hands Ritsuko the child and we both jet off to go get changed. Gahiji's Eva was still being repaired, so it was only me, Asuka and Sam fighting whatever was coming at us. Within two minutes, we were in out Evas and ready to fight.

"All Evas, launch!" in an instant, we were jettisoned to the surface, "Okay kids, you're in luck! The MAGI had actually pinpointed where the threat is, the bad news is that there's about twenty thousand of them," my comm. must be busted, did she just say twenty thousand?

"What! How the hell are we going to fight off that many!" Akagi laughs a little, "What the hell is so funny? I don't see you out here!"

"They are only about a yard long each, just use these," just then, three guns shot from the ground, "Hope you like fire!" knowing Akagi, she wasn't joking. We each pick one of the huge – even for an Eva – guns.

"So, what does this baby do, huh?" Asuka now had a wide smile on… which kind of made me scared.

"Well, it's basically a flame thrower. Say hello to the newest addition to NERV!" a flame thrower? That even made me excited! That is until I see Sam holding one… then I think of what could happen! I don't care how aware she is, there is no way she was going to be able to handle this.

"I think I'll just leave this one alone," almost like she read my mind, Sam put the weapon back.

"Evas approaching!" just as she said that, I see a huge white cloud comes into view over the horizon. The cloud gracefully floated from side to side, almost like it was part of the wind.

"Come on… just a little closer…" Asuka mumbled over the comm. The white cloud finally got within a few hundred yards, and Asuka went all out, "Die you bugs!" when she pulled the trigger, it looked like a volcano erupting from the gun. A stream of flames shot out far past where the Evas were and actually melted part of a bridge.

"Asuka! That's enough! The MAGI thinks there dead," there was no way that it was that easy. The hundreds of crisp insects littered the ground, "and so do I…" Akagi spoke over the comm.

"That was too easy! No wonder they need new designs! Did they honestly think a bunch of bugs could-" her screen went to static.

"Asuka? Are you alright?" still nothing but the sound of static, "Asuka, answer!" Ritsuko was yelling over the comm. Just as soon as it went to static, her screen came back up.

"Yeah, I'm alright, why?" I let out a soft sigh of relief, "Akagi? I… think there's a hole in my entry plug… what the hell is that?" a hole? How was that even possible? I thought these things were made out of titanium!

"Asuka! Eject! Get out of there!" Now Akagi was yelling again, then an ear piercing scream came from Asuka.

"What the hell are these! Shit! Get off!" I look over at her to see that she was covered with what looked like white grasshoppers, "Ah! Crap that hurts! Get me out of here!" The Evas weren't dead yet!

"Shinji, pull her plug out! We can't eject her!" of course they can't! Are they good for anything! I jet over to her Eva and rip out the plug, and once again, her comm. screen went to static, "Okay, we can take it from here, just set her down," reluctantly, I put her plug down. Within seconds, I see about ten ambulances and countless NERV technicians surrounded her plug.

"What's taking so long? Get her out of there!" I was really starting to get worried; those things looked like… they were eating her.

"We can't! The plug is still too hot!" their joking… right? I've opened that thing with my bare hands before! I was sick of waiting, so I eject my plug on my own, and within a few minutes, I was out and running to hers.

"Get out of the way! She needs help!" I push my way through and finally get to her steaming entry plug, "Damn it I hate this part!" I grab onto the two handles and pull. Steam starts to rise from my hands and the handles separate further and further. Finally, the hatch pops open, and thousands of those bugs crawl out and fall to the floor along with gallons of LCL, "Holy shit!" everyone takes more then a few steps back, leaving me standing there, "Oh yeah, you guys are a real help, assholes! I dig at the little Evas until I find Asuka, seemingly untouched, but unconscious. I pull her out of the plug and run her over to some clear ground.

"Will you people please do your jobs! See if she's okay!" Akagi was yelling at everyone as she ran towards me, "Shinji, is she breathing?"

"Yeah, but she's not awake. What the hell happened in there?" Akagi checks her pulse and gives a content sigh.

"She's fine, just a few bites. We should get her to the-" Ritsuko was cut off by an ear piercing scream. I look over to see a woman being engulfed in those creatures.

"Get these things off me!" her face was then covered by them. Now all that stood there was a huge pile of the Evas. After a few seconds, they scatter, leaving nothing left.

"Oh my God, Sam! Shinji, we have to get rid of those things!" Well duh!

"Great… how?" one of the bugs crawled over to her, and with a quick stomp, she crushed it.

"How do you get rid of normal bugs? It may be desperate, but it's all we got! Everyone, stomp on the little fuckers!" no one moved for a few seconds, "Did you hear me! NOW!" with that, each person, whether it be a NERV employee or a paramedic, began to crush them.

"You do know that this will take forever… right?" she laughs a little.

"Not with all of these people helping, we should be done pretty soon." And she was right. The 'threat' was killed by shoes in about ten minutes. Sure, they could eat people, but we had the advanced technology of foot-wear! SEELE was becoming desperate, huh?

---

NERV Hospital – One Hour Later

Asuka was still unconscious from her attack and in the hospital. Akagi said that she was fine, just shaken up. Who the hell wouldn't be shaken up after that? That was by far the most revolting thing I have ever seen; all of those things falling to the ground and onto my feet was just nasty.

"Has she woken up yet?" I turn to see Sam standing in the doorway.

"No, not yet, no one around here has any idea when she will wake up either. I guess all we can do is wait for now," she walks over and takes a seat next to me.

"Do you mind if I stay for awhile?" that was new. Normally Sam would steer clear of any conflict.

"No, thanks," I felt like I had to thank her for staying with Asuka right now. Sam reaches out and takes Asuka's hand with the engagement ring on it.

"You really love her, don't you?" she rubbed the diamond with one finger.

"You have no idea, no one does. I don't know why, but our relationship is a special one. For over a year we lived together, and both of us hated every second of it. I really have no idea how we ended up together, in truth, I think it was a miracle on my part," she looked over at me with an annoyed face.

"Oh cut the crap Shinji. It was no miracle; she loves you just the same. I don't care what either of you say about living together, you obviously loved it. If you didn't, then explain to me how you became so close," she was right. Maybe we did like that time, but I was still unsure about it.

"Mmmm…" a soft moan came from Asuka, "Shin… ji…" I think she was coming too, "Diet… linde…" even in her dreams she would think of her family.

"See what I mean? She never stops thinking about you! Now that she brought it up, where is Dietlinde? I thought Akagi had her, but she's been walking around all day," good point. For the first time, I was actually afraid of her safety. I knew that she was fine, but just the fact that I didn't know where she was drove me insane.

"Do you mind staying here? I'm going to find her," without waiting for an answer, I left. The first place I went to was Ritsuko's office, hoping that she knew where Dietlinde was. She wasn't in her office, so now I had to search for her. After about ten minutes of searching, my heart was pounding. I needed to know that Dietlinde was okay, that she was in good hands. I finally turn the corner to see Akagi with her back to me. "Hey Ritsuko, Where's Dietlinde?" she turns to show her wearing a harness with Dietlinde in it. Was she… carrying Dietlinde around? That was cute and creepy at the same time!

"Yeah, I think I've got her right here," she chuckles a little, "Sorry if I worried you, but I needed to get some work done. Here, you can take her back now," She unbuckles the harness and hands my child to me, "Good thing I had this lying around, huh?"

"Yeah… thanks… I gotta go," I didn't want her to see me so freaked out, so I took Dietlinde and left. I failed to notice that her face had lit up when she saw me, but when I finally calmed down and looked at her, she had a huge smile plastered on her face, "You want to go sleep?" I just didn't want her to see Asuka like that, it might make her uneasy. Just as she always has, she answered my question by loosing the smile and staring at me. I couldn't take that face… maybe a few minutes with Asuka would be fine. Hell, she WAS her mother; the state that Asuka was in shouldn't have any affect. I carry her to the room to see Sam talking to Asuka.

"Oh, you're back. Asuka woke up right after you left, did you find Dietlinde?" I go and sit down next to her.

"Yeah, how do you feel Asuka?" she laughs a little.

"I've been worse off, trust me," Dietlinde was staring at her blankly, "And how is my little girl doing?" Dietlinde instantly gets a smile on her face.

"You want to be with mom, huh?" I hand her to Asuka, where she instantly took her place in Asuka's chest. It was just like that one night when I tried to put the crib together; Dietlinde had her head resting on Asuka's breasts while Asuka gently rubbed her back. Dietlinde's eyes were soon shut and I think she was sleeping.

"So how long was I out?" Asuka whispered to me and Sam.

"Not that long, only about an hour. What happened in there Asuka? How did so many of those things get inside?" her averted her eyes back to Dietlinde sleeping.

"I have no idea, at first there was only four or five, but they… split, I think. I could have sworn I saw them splitting in half and multiplying. When they got on me, it literally felt as if I was being eaten, I'm surprised that I don't have any bite marks," so was I; I saw that woman being eaten, yet not a drop of blood was spilled.

"I'm surprised you are alive. A woman was eaten by those things within a few seconds; why didn't they hurt you?" she just shrugged.

"Hey, I didn't say that they didn't hurt, I said I'm okay. I have no idea why they didn't do worse, I guess I'm just lucky," story of our lives. Me and Asuka had always been lucky; lucky to end up together, lucky that she hadn't gotten pregnant from that man, lucky that I'm not dead from either being stabbed, shot, or beaten, and lucky that the birth went okay. Nothing in our lives didn't have anything to do with luck… except for the love Dietlinde has for us. That was all on our own.

A/N- Kind of odd to stop the chapter here, but I ran out of ideas. I hate to say it, but in the next chapter, someone will be leaving, possibly for good. Who will it be? Why are they leaving? Find out in the next chapter; Father, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	70. Father

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Chapter 70: Father

**A/N- Looks like I finally hit 100 reviews last chapter! And on yet another event, I hit 200 pages with this first paragraph! Yes! Talk about a birthday present! Thanks to all of my loyal readers and I hope you like where this story has gone, where it is, and where it is going. Now on with the chapter!**

A/A/N- This chapter was proof-read by Frost-Eva-00. Thanks for your help Frost!

Asuka's Room – The Next Day

Asuka was finally out of the hospital and back in her room. Jeff has given me the day off after he saw what happened on the news, leaving me some time with my family. Dietlinde was getting her last breast feed right now. Ritsuko said that she should start to eat normal food at this point, so she gave us all kinds of baby food to feed her. She had also given us a high-chair to feed her in. I had to admit, I was not looking forward to teaching her to eat normal food. I knew that she was going to put up a resistance and ask for her normal meal, but she had to start.

"Okay, sorry but that's it," Asuka pulls Dietlinde away and sets her back in the crib, "I wonder how she's going to react to the change. If she took after me like you said, the stubbornness in that child will be impossible to deal with!" we both laugh a little, but it was true.

"Asuka, do you mind coming down here please?" Akagi's voice came over the intercom, "Alone?" that was odd. Why would she need Asuka alone?

"Yeah, I'll be right there," she answered back, "I'll be right back. She probably just needs to talk about Dietlinde. Watch over her, okay?" with that, she left. I waited there for about an hour, and after that, I started to get worried. What could be taking her this long? Just as I was getting up to call Akagi, the door swung open.

"Fuck!" she storms into the room.

"Asuka? What happened?" her face was red she was so mad, "Are you okay?" she turns to look at me.

"You love me, right?" I nod, "Then come here," she grabs my wrist and drags me to Ritsuko's office. When we get inside, I see Akagi standing with a very tall man. He looked like Asuka in a way, but I couldn't place what it was.

A/N- I will be writing the conversations in English, but if you want it to seem realistic, the German version is at the end after the Author's Notes. Thanks to AsukaAndMisato for the translation!

"_This is the 'man' you spoke of? Pathetic._" He spoke German to Asuka.

"_Yes it is! He is the father of my child as well! Why do you even care?_" the man jumped a little.

"_Child? You're a mother! What have you gotten yourself into Asuka?_" I couldn't stand this anymore.

"What the hell is going on! If you're going to talk, speak Japanese!" he looks at me blankly, "And who is this guy!"

"This bastard is my father. He wants me to go back home with him," back home? In Germany?

"He doesn't want, he's demanding it. Asuka, I'm sorry, but you will be leaving tomorrow," Ritsuko must be crazy! I'm not going to just let her go! What about Dietlinde? She will only have one parent!

"What! No! She's not leaving!" I was quickly shot down.

"Yes she is. Her father, Karsten, never signed a contract to let her work for NERV, therefore he can do what he wants." Asuka starts to yell again.

"_Like hell he can! I'm not going with this asshole!_" with that, Karsten walks up to her and leans down to meet her at eye level.

"_You are still a child young lady, and you will respect me,_" Asuka turns red with anger again.

"_Fuck you!_" he then rose up and looked down on her, "_You heard me!_" in an instant, he backhands her across the face, leaving her to fall to the ground.

"Hey! What the hell is your problem!" I throw a punch at his face, but he caught it in mid air, "Damn you!" I throw another punch with my other hand, and he caught that one too.

"_You're quite the disrespectful little brat, aren't you?_" I look up at him with hate in my eyes. He lets go of my right hand and as I start to pull my other hand away, he thrusts it backward.

"AH!" he lets go of my throbbing hand. I look at it and find that I can't move it… my hand is completely backward, the back of my hand was touching my wrist bone.

"Hey! What are you doing! That's it; I'm calling security," Ritsuko presses a red button and within a few seconds, the room was flooded with police, and they all jump on him, "Whoa! Don't touch him!" what was she talking about? All of the men slowly let go of him.

"What… are you… doing…?" I managed to mutter above the pain. She looks down on me, and offers a hand to help me up.

"We can't touch him. He's the Brigadier General of the German army," of course he was! When I was up, she helped Asuka to her feet.

"_You… bastard…_" she holds her bleeding cheek with one hand. A few drops of blood drop to the floor. Seeing her like this sent me over the edge.

"You're her father, and you do this! You have no right!" he walked up to me and I see all of the police put a hand on their gun holster.

"_Do you enjoy your other hand? Then back off,_" with that, he started to walk off. Akagi rushed over to Asuka when he went out of sight and looked at her cheek.

"It's just a cut, it won't scar. Shinji, we need to get you to the OR now, you could be bleeding internally," at this point, I didn't care. Actually, I knew I was bleeding because blood was pooling on the end of my wrist. That pain… was like nothing I could describe, even looking at it hurt.

"Fine, but Asuka's coming with me. I'm not leaving her alone," Akagi started to walk away.

"Okay, just come on! We need to hurry!" both of us follow her to the OR.

"Asuka… are you okay?" she was so proud, she didn't even show pain.

"Yeah, just pissed off. What about you?" she hasn't seen my wrist yet, I've been hiding it from her to at least TRY and ease her mind.

"Y-Yeah… I'm fine…" good thing she was on my right. I was able to hide it from her.

"Then why are you sweating? Shinji, just tell me what he did. Are you bleeding?" with a sigh, I lift up the injured hand, "Oh my God!" now that she knew, I didn't have to hold back the pain anymore.

"Shit this hurts! What the hell is wrong with your father!" I had nothing to brace the pain either. I couldn't move my fingers, so I was unable to clench a fist. Just feeling my heartbeat in the wound hurt bad enough to make me scream.

"Shinji, I'm so sorry! Why'd you do anything? You knew I'd be fine!" that must have looked funny, me trying to stare down a guy that's easily six-ten.

"That's not the point and you know it! He had no right to hit you! I promised you I would never let you get hurt, and not only did I break that promise, I couldn't do anything about it!" that just came out of nowhere, but it was true. Back on the beach I gave her a set of promises that she could hold me to, and I've already broken all of them. I've cheated, she been hurt – by my hand none the less – and was almost killed.

"Oh shut up! The guy is friggen seven feet tall; of course you couldn't do anything! I'm fine, it's just a scrape," scrap my ass! Blood is dripping from it! I decided to drop it there because we were getting to the OR, and I was getting pissed again.

"Okay Shinji, just lay down and wait for me to come back," she left and I sat down on the cold metal stretcher

"I am NOT looking forward to this," I look down at my throbbing hand and cringe at the sight. My hand was starting to turn purple and the veins are popping far out of the flesh, trying to get any amount of blood. It was starting to go numb, so it didn't hurt that much anymore.

"Try passing something the size of a watermelon out the size of a straw, and THEN we'll talk about pain, okay?" I couldn't help but laugh at her. Even after what had just happened, she still managed to keep her sense of humor.

"What if he really pushes this? What if you have to leave?" she waves a hand in the air.

"I'm not gonna leave! I don't care what he does, I'm not leaving," that was comforting, but it didn't help the thoughts that crossed my mind. What would become of us? Who would Dietlinde live with? What about the SEELE attacks? I had to get rid of these thoughts; of course she was going to stay.

"Okay Shinji, you ready?" I saw Akagi come back into the room with three other people.

"As ready as I'll ever be," she starts to prepare syringe with some drug, "Whoa! Don't put me to sleep here!" all of the doctors look at me with the 'is he crazy?' face on.

"Shinji, you know the pain you felt while it happened? Well fixing it will be about ten times worse. I am going to put some kind of-" I cut her off.

"Oh no you won't! With her father roaming around here, I am NOT taking my eye off of her!" Akagi laughs a little.

"Fine, if you want I'll lock the door, okay?" she thought it was going to be that easy, didn't she?

"Do whatever you want, but you're not putting me to sleep," with a sigh, she puts down the needle. Good girl!

"Fine, but you asked for it. Try to hold still, okay?" she walks over to me and places a hand on the wrist, "Okay, I think we're ready here. Brace yourself, Shinji," before I could respond, she grabs onto my hand and lower wrist, then separates the two. With a loud 'crunch' sound, my wrist pops back in place.

"Ah fuck! You weren't kidding! Good God!" I heard Asuka gasp a little at this. Hell, the sound it made alone was nasty!

"Okay, we're almost done here," wait… what?

"Akagi… please tell me you're kidding!" she shakes her head, "What more is there to do!"

"Hey, I told you that you needed the drugs. Too late now, your heart is beating too fast. Okay, can you hand me a scalpel?" scalpel? What was she doing! "Okay, brace yourself again," before I could object, she cuts into my skin.

"Ah…" a small grunt echoes from me as she pokes around under my flesh. I notice that Asuka has looked away… I don't blame her! After about five minutes, my hand started to get its color back.

"Shinji, don't look for a second," I turn away, expecting more pain, "okay, where is the needle on your hand?" my hand? What needle?

"It's… not on my hand. Why?" I hear a small gasp coming from her, "Ritsuko, what's wrong?" I look at my hand to see a long push pin sticking straight up out of my palm and Ritsuko covering her eyes, "I told you not to give me any drugs!" she shakes her head.

"I didn't…"

A/N- I'm posting this chapter one review early for a reason. I need your input. **Okay, I'm not in the best of moods right now. I've gotten two reviews and three personal messages telling me to end the story. So I am. Within the next five chapters, expect it to end. Unless someone objects, I'm done.** Anyway, what does the needle mean? Is Shinji okay? Find out in the next chapter; One Less, until then, keep on keepin' on! 

A/A/N- Here's the translated version;

"_Das ist der 'Mann', von dem Sie sprachen? Erbärmlich._" He spoke German to Asuka.

"_Ja ist es! Er ist der Vater meines Kindes ebenso! Warum sorgen Sie sich sogar?_" the man jumped a little.

"_Kind? Sie sind eine Mutter! Was haben Sie sich in Asuka verschafft?"_I couldn't stand this anymore.

"What the hell is going on! If you're going to talk, speak Japanese!" he looks at me blankly, "And who is this guy!"

"This bastard is my father. He wants me to go back home with him," back home? In Germany?

"He doesn't want, he's demanding it. Asuka, I'm sorry, but you will be leaving tomorrow," Ritsuko must be crazy! I'm not going to just let her go! What about Dietlinde? She will only have one parent!

"What! No! She's not leaving!" I was quickly shot down.

"Yes she is. Her father, Karsten, never signed a contract to let her work for NERV, therefore he can do what he wants." Asuka starts to yell again.

"_Wie Hölle kann er! Ich gehe mit diesem Arschloch nicht!" _with that, Karsten walks up to her and leans down to meet her at eye level.

"_Sie sind noch ein Kind die junge Dame, und Sie werden mich respektieren,_" Asuka turns red with anger again.

"_Leck mich am Arsch!_" he then rose up and looked down on her, "_Hörten Sie mich!_" in an instant, he backhands her across the face, leaving her to fall to the ground.

"Hey! What the hell is your problem!" I throw a punch at his face, but he caught it in mid air, "Damn you!" I throw another punch with my other hand, and he caught that one too.

"_Sie sind ganz der respektlose kleine Bengel, stimmt dass?_" I look up at him with hate in my eyes. He lets go of my right hand and as I start to pull my other hand away, he thrusts it backward.

"AH!" he lets go of my throbbing hand. I look at it and find that I can't move it… my hand is completely backward, the back of my hand was touching my wrist bone.

"Hey! What are you doing! That's it, I'm calling security," Ritsuko presses a red button and within a few seconds, the room was flooded with police, and they all jump on him, "Whoa! Don't touch him!" what was she talking about? All of the men slowly let go of him.

"What… are you… doing…?" I managed to mutter above the pain.She looks down on me, and offers a hand to help me up.

"We can't touch him. He's the Brigadier General of the German army," of course he was! When I was up, she helped Asuka to her feet.

"_Sie...Bastard…_" she holds her bleeding cheek with one hand. A few drops of blood drop to the floor. Seeing her like this sent me over the edge.


	71. One Less

**Nothing Will ever Change That**

Chapter 71: One Less

NERV Hospital

"I told you not to give me any drugs!" she shakes her head.

"I didn't…" like hell she didn't! I couldn't feel a thing!

"What do you mean you didn't? There's a fucking nail in my hand and I can't…" it suddenly hit me, "Ritsuko… is…" she nodded under the cover of her hand.

"What the hell is going- why does Shinji have a pin in his hand? Is this some sick joke?" Asuka had a disgusted look on her face.

"Shinji…please tell me you can feel it… please…" I see a tear drop from under the cover of her hand, "At least move… anything…" I really couldn't.

"I can't… fuck…" a small mutter echoes from my throat, "Can't you do anything?" she shook her head.

"I'm sorry…" she walks out of the room in tears. This can't be happening, it just can't. In a last attempt for reassurance, I tug and push at the pin with my other hand. A single drop of blood leaks through, and rolls down the side of my hand… and I couldn't feel a thing.

"Asuka… we left Dietlinde in your room, you should go check on her," she starts to walk to me, "Now…" the flatness of my voice was worse then Rei's. She took this order and left with a soft sigh, "One of you bandage me up… we're done here…" no one moved a muscle, "Did you not hear me? Now! If you can't tell, I'm just a little pissed right now!" one of the doctors scrambled over to me and started to wrap my wrist with bandages. When he was done, I simply got up and left, pulling the needle out and throwing it to the ground as I do. On the way, I grab a towel from one of the many medical carts and wrap my paper-white hand in it. I head directly to Asuka's room with my head hanging.

"Oh, you're back… what's wrong? Shinji?" I go over and fall on my back onto her bed, "What's up with the towel? They didn't have real bandages or something?" she laughed as she spoke the last part.

"How's Dietlinde?" yet another flat comment. Asuka reached into the crib and pulled her out.

"Just fine, she took care of herself!" she said in a playful voice to Dietlinde, "Here, why don't you take her for a second, she's been whining ever since I got here," she held Dietlinde in front of me, waiting for me to take her.

"No, not right now, thanks. I'm just a little tired," she took Dietlinde back to her crib and sat next to my head.

"Come on, you can tell me," she rubs the top of my head, "Did they forget to give you pain killers? We have some stuff here if you want," I sit up and go next to her.

"Asuka… I… I can't hold Dietlinde anymore…" she gives me a confused look, "God… just look…" I unwrap the towel in front of her, eventually revealing a white hand.

"So you're not getting enough blood to your hand right now, it'll go back to normal eventually," could she be making this any harder?

"No… you don't understand… it's gone… my hand is gone… for good," I close my eyes trying to hide the tears forming. She looks at me with that same confused look, and then looks at my hand. She places her whole hand on it, but quickly pulls back.

"It's… cold…" I open my eyes back up, and past the blurry vision, I see a softly crying Asuka. Just like that night, she let the tears flow freely, but didn't make a sound. I wrap my hand back up, not wanting to look at it anymore, "He did this… that bastard did this…" I see her fists start to clench, "You're… just a kid… and he does this?" a few tears fall onto me only working hand.

"I don't regret it…" I clench my other hand, thinking of what could have happened. She got up and walked to the corner of the room, facing the wall.

"I'm going to kill him! I swear to fucking God!" she rushes away from the corner and comes back over to the bed. She drops to her knees and reaches far under the bed, "You're going to die you bastard!" she gets back up and rushes out of the room. I chase after her, once again leaving Dietlinde. Asuka was by far faster then me, so by the time I got to the room she entered, she had already gotten to her father. Gendo and a crying Ritsuko were in the room with him.

"Asuka! What are you doing?" I hear Akagi yell.

"What I should have done when I saw this fucker!" I change my angle from behind her to next to her. She had a large revolver aimed point blank at Karsten, "_Beg for it!_" she started to yell in German at him. Nothing came from the wide eyed adult, "_I said fucking beg for it!_" I had no idea what she was saying, but I've never seen her so mad.

"_What the hell do you think you're doing? Put that thing away!_" she took a step back.

"_Get down on your knees and BEG!_" Asuka still had a stream of tears rolling from her eyes. Her father shivered as he went down on one knee, then he lowered the other, hands in the air the entire time.

"_Asuka! Calm down!_" he continued to yell at her as he was on the ground.

"_Like hell I will! Do what I said! Beg for your pathetic fucking life!_" she had the gun pointing directly to the top of his head.

"_I will not fall to a child!_" Asuka got a devilish smile on her face as she sobbed.

"_Yes you will… now FALL!_" I thrust my head away from the sight as a loud bang echoed through the room. I heard a large body fall to the ground. I turn back around to see Gendo on top of Asuka on the ground, "Get the hell off of me! He has to die! He WILL die by my hand!" I look at Karsten and see him ducking on the ground, then look up. He then got up and brushed himself off.

"_So, you were going to kill me?_" he began to walk to her and Gendo struggling on the floor. He leans down and snatches the gun from Asuka's hand, "_Now how about you beg? Why shouldn't I kill you right here? I have no use for you, so why should I keep you alive?_" Asuka stopped struggling and looked up at him with fear in her eyes.

"Let me up! Let me UP! He's going to-" she was cut off by him.

"_Not so proud when you're the one in danger, are you? Now, my sweet little daughter…_" He looks down on her sobbing.

"LET ME GO! Please! Please let me go! God damnit, let me go! I don't want to-" Karsten gets an enraged look on his face and cuts her off.

_DIE!_" in an instant, he points the gun at her head and a loud bang echoes through the room one last time. Blood shoots behind her and splatters on the white carpet. The sight before me made me fall to my knees sobbing...

A/N- There is one more chapter. The next chapter is; I'm Gone, deal with it.


	72. I'm Gone

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Chapter 72: I'm Gone

A/N- This chapter was reviewed by Frost-Eva-00. Thanks again for the help!

"_DIE!_" in an instant, he points the gun at her head and a loud bang echoes through the room one last time. Blood shoots behind her and splatters on the white carpet. The sight before me made me fall to my knees sobbing...

"A-Asuka…" I heard Akagi mutter. Asuka's face was white, and her eyes are still open. Her jaw hung loosely as she stared up. I tried to get up, to simply get to her, to hold her one last time, but my legs were utterly useless.

"Asuka, Asuka! God no! FUCK! Asuka… please don't leave me!" I was down on the floor sobbing and pounding on the carpet with my only good fist. Blood continued to run onto the floor.

"G-Gen… do…" I dart my head up so fast my neck cracks. Asuka was talking! She was alive! Wait… Gendo… he was… over Asuka…

"D-Don't… die on me… Asuka…" he had his hands on either side of her head and his chest over her head. "Are you… alright?" he coughs blood onto the floor over Asuka's head.

"Yeah…" he gives a faint smile.

"Good… take care of Shinji, okay?" with a soft laugh, he collapses on top of her. She rolls out from under him and stands up to face Gendo's killer.

"_You… bastard… burn in hell!_" he once again points the gun at her. She goes wide eyed at the gun aimed between her eyes. He pulls the trigger one more time… and all that is heard was a click. He pulled it over and over, and clicks after click echoed in the room.

"_Who puts ONE bullet in a gun? No matter,_" he brings the gun up and hits her with the butt of it, sending her falling to the floor, "_This will do just fine,_" he brought his foot up, and slammed it on her knee.

"AH!" a scream came from Asuka, and that was MORE then enough to send me over the edge.

"Karsten!" he turns to me as I charge towards him. By either dumb luck or skill I got him to the floor and was able to get on top of him, sitting on his stomach, I start to beat on his face.

"_Get the hell off of me!_" he tried to cover his face as I blindly punch at it, to no avail. I saw that he was starting to get a bloody nose, a broken nose, and his lip was slit wide open.

"You try to kill Asuka," I grab his lower jaw, "You kill my father," I pull it to one side, sending a cracking noise through the room, "You take my hand away," a loud yell of pain soon followed, "and you constantly beat on my love," I put my hand on one side of his head, "You WILL pay!" I press my thumb firmly into his eye socket.

"_AAHHH!_" his eye caves into his skull, and he blindly digs at his mangled head.

"Now you want to get away, don't you!" with one more move, I wrap my hand firmly around his neck and squeeze as hard as I could. His whole head starts to turn red, and I could feel him slowly slipping away… and I loved that feeling. I could feel his heart start to slow, his head turning purple, and his soul literally leaving for hell. I loved every second of his pain.

"Shinji, Get off him!" I feel a sharp tug at the back of my shirt. I turn around – my hand still on his neck – to see Akagi, "Don't kill him!" she finally managed to get me off.

"No! He has to die! I have to kill him! Let me go!" I struggle at her grip, but I was just too weak. She held me back as he slowly got to his feet. I stopped struggling when I finally saw him. I've never seen such a mess; crooked jaw, collapsed eye, blood leaking from his nose, mouth and a cut on his eyebrow, even broken cartilage in his ear. It looked like something out of a teen-slasher… and I loved it. With a quick grunt, he runs out of the building. "Asuka, Are you okay?" my heart felt like it was about to burst, my chest actually hurt.

"Ah… no… I'm not… my knee…" she said between breaths. Yet another cut has appeared on her face, sending blood falling to the already blood-stained floor. I look at her knee, and it was slightly bowed at the joint. It just looked like a dislocation to me. Akagi let go of me and went over to her.

"You're fine, just dislocated," thank God, "hold on, I'll put it back," with a quick jolt and a crack, her leg was normal again.

"Mmm!" she squinted her eyes at the pain, "Is… Gendo… gone?" Akagi jumps up and runs over to him.

"Gendo, Gendo!" she picks up his limp wrist and holds it for quite awhile, then drops it to the floor. She collapses on his back and cries into his bloody shirt, "Gendo! Please don't go… we're not done yet… don't leave me alone… not again…" done? Done with what? I go over and help Asuka to her feet.

"Ritsuko…" she whipped around and began to yell at me.

"You father is DEAD! You don't even care, do you? You're turning into a monster Shinji! You enjoyed watching Asuka's father dieing! You were smiling! The look in your eyes was terrifying! You almost killed your father before, and you enjoyed that! God Shinji, what has happened to you? Every life you try to take, you smile! You enjoy killing! You're not the sweet boy I know… you're a… monster… Asuka, take Dietlinde and get away from him! Don't trust him! For the love of God, run!" she goes back to sobbing over his corpse. I literally fell down at her words. My legs just gave out and now I was on my back on the blood soaked floor. Tears flow from my closed eyes as I lay there. She was right; I loved to watch him slip away. I wanted – hell, I WANT – to see him die. Seeing my father dead didn't bother me at all, in fact, it brought me a slight sense of happiness. I was a monster… what made me this way?

"Shinji… come on, let's go back to my room, we both need to get cleaned up," she offers a hand to help me up.

"How do you feel safe around me?" my voice was uneasy, I was still crying. She gives me a warm smile.

"Because I love you, now come on." I take her hand and we walk out together, leaving Akagi to mourn. The walk to her room was a long one. Her knee still hurt, so most of her weight was on my left shoulder, causing us to go extremely slow, but when we finally got to her room, my heart sank. We left Dietlinde after Asuka got done yelling her lungs out. She was still crying after all this time, "Shhh… its okay, mommy's here," she picked up Dietlinde and cradles her. The crying eventually subdued and Asuka put her back in the crib.

"Can you help me? I don't think I can clean this cut by myself," how was she acting so calm? My adrenaline was still pumping so hard I could lift a truck, and here she is cradling Dietlinde and asking for help with her wounds. It was beyond me; I just go to the bathroom and grab the first-aid kit. I come back out to see her sitting on the bed awaiting my return.

"I'm… sorry you had to see me like that…" I try and make up for my actions as I get the peroxide ready.

"He deserved it! Hell, I was about to kill him!" it was WAY different in my eyes. I literally tore him up; all she had to do was pull a trigger.

"Hold still for a second," I rub the cotton ball full of peroxide on her cut, and it instantly starts to bubble. She cringe a little as it did, but that soon went away. I wipe off the liquid and put a band-aid on it.

"You know what Akagi said wasn't true, right?" yes it was.

"Asuka… she was right… I loved watching him die… I wanted to feel his heart stop so badly…" she stared at me with wide eyes.

"Please don't say that… it's… scary when you say it like that…" she squirms in her seat, "Seriously, stop…" Once again, Akagi was right. I was scaring people around me.

"Sorry… look I just need some sleep; I need to get some stuff off my mind. You up for a nap?" she nods slightly. I start to take off the sheets to her bed and crawl in out of habit.

"Shinji?" she says my name as I get under, "Do… you mind sleeping… on the sofa? I think I'm going to need to prop up my leg, and I don't…" I cut her off. I didn't need to hear any lies.

"Sure," I crawl out of the bed and head for the sofa. She was afraid of me now, just great. The only person that had ever cared for me is cared of my very presents. What's the point of even trying anymore? Why do I care? I flop onto the sofa and fall asleep with thoughts of grim circumstances.

---

Four Hours Later

I'm just waking up from my horrid sleep. I dreamt of nothing but Asuka's pain and fear. I was drenched in sweat to the point of my shirt actually becoming heavy. I look over at her bed to find that she was gone. Dietlinde was in her crib sleeping, so Asuka wasn't out with her. I check the bathroom and find that it was empty. The only other place I could think of was Sam's room, so I head down there after locking the door – I at least had to protect Dietlinde. When I get to Sam's room, I give a loud knock.

"Come in!" I open the door to see her 'watching' a comedian on TV, "Oh, hey Shinji, you need something?" how the hell…?

"How did you…? Forget it. Listen, have you spoken to Asuka lately?" she shook her head.

"No, I haven't talked to her all day, sorry. Is everything alright?" I start to walk back out of her room.

"I hope so," I mutter before I close the door back up. The only other place I could think of was the person I least wanted to see right now…Akagi. I had no other choice, so I headed to her office. "Ritsuko, Are you in there?" I hear a small hum. I walk inside to see her draped over her desk with a beer in hand and about seven on the ground, "Real nice… have you seen Asuka?" she looked up at me and laughed a little.

"I… told you about… Germany… she's gone, she ain't comin' back either," I walk over to her desk.

"You'd better be kidding me!" she slowly shakes her head, "Why the hell didn't you… forget it… where is she now?" she once again laughs, "I'm not joking here!"

"Whoa, calm down, she's fine. My guess is that she's somewhere above the Pacific right now," Fuck! They did take her back!

"When the hell did this happen!" she tried to stand up, but fell back into her seat.

"About three hours ago. The German Embassy came and demanded to see her. I called her down here and they took her on a plane in cuffs…" they hand-cuffed her?

"Thanks for the fucking help bitch," I mutter as I walk out. That was met with a small giggle. I had to catch a plane to Germany; I had to get there somehow. I had no money though! I can't work with one hand and I doubt NERV will pay for it! I had to do something about this… and I had an idea.

A/N- Like the little joke I played? Are you going to stop sending hate/flame mails now? Please? Well Asuka's gone NOW. How will Shinji get to her? Will he get to her? What was his idea? Will I pass my test tomorrow? Find out in the next chapter; I'll Do Anything, until then, keep on keepin' on!

* * *


	73. I'll Do Anything

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Chapter 73: I'll Do Anything

A/N- This chapter was proof-read by Frost-Eva-00. Thanks for the help!

Asuka's Room – The Next Morning

I've been raking my brain trying to think of how I was going to get past the NERV security. I knew that after what happened last night, there was no way they were going to let me leave… unless I called in a favor. Gahiji could help me, but the question was if he would. I pick up the phone and call his cell.

"Hello?" the first time he's actually picked up the phone when I've called!

"Hey, it's Shinji, look, I need a favor. Will you meet me in Asuka's room in a few minutes?" a few seconds of silence follow, "Just come on!"

"Okay, just calm down, I'll be in there in a few minutes," and he was. In about five minutes we were sitting on the sofa in her room, "Okay, so what did you need? I was asleep!" like I cared.

"Look, all I need you to do is give this to give this to one of the guards," I hand him a small envelope and he looks at me with a confused look, "just do it, please? I really need this." He took the envelope.

"Whatever…" with that, he walked out of the room. I jet over to the door to watch what was about to unfold between him and the guards. He said a few words, and then handed it to the guard. He opened it and went wide eyed, then said something over the intercom.

"All active NERV guards! Get down to hall seven now!" within a few seconds, Gahiji was tackled to the floor… and my chance showed itself. I sneak out of the door with a small smile on.

"Sorry man, I told you I needed this," I put a death threat on my own life in there! Now that I was out of NERV, I run down to Rei's old apartment. It took me a few minutes to get there, and along the way one single question popped up; should I be doing this? It's not like I had much of a choice at this point. I whip open the door to her broken down house.

"Hey man… enough of the noise…" her house has become a refugee for addicts and sellers. The floor was littered with either dead or passed out junkies. I step over a few and head to the main room to find one man sitting in a large chair counting off hundreds.

"Who the hell are you?' the man looks up at me with blood-shot eyes… apparently he was on it too.

"My name doesn't matter… I'm looking for work. Got anything?" he laughed a little.

"Run along and play with your toys kid, you don't want work here," he went back to counting the money. I go over and slam my hand on the desk he was working on.

"I'm no kid… I'm a killer… I'll do anything. Sell, push, anything you got." He rubbed his chin for a second, and then spoke up with a large smile on his face.

"Okay, I like your attitude kid. Fine, you want a job?" I nod, "One thing before you do; if you tell anyone of what you do here, you WILL die. Understand that?"

"Yes… now what do I do?" he reaches down under the desk and pulls out a Colt 47.

"Your job is simple. When people refuse to pay us, they tend to make me loose money. We also have a few rats in the organization; you will deal with them too. All I want you to do is… negotiate with them," he aims the gun at one of the passed out junkies without looking, "With this," he sends a loud bang through the house, "Got it?"

"Y-Yeah…" he slides the gun and a knife across the table to me, and I pick it up, "How… will I find them?" he gets up out of the chair and walks across the room.

"I'll take care of that. In fact, I have one of those rats I told you about right here," he opens Rei's closet to reveal a man tied up against the door with duct-tape over his mouth. He's obviously been beaten badly, but air still filled his lungs, "Show me your loyalty kid, take care of him." the beaten man looked up at me with terrified eyes.

"Before I do… what exactly does this pay?" he laughed a little.

"Look… I can say that it's enough. I'd say about 80000 Yen per head you bring back. Sound good? Good, now deal with him." he walks back o his desk.

"I'm sorry…" I bring the gun up between his eyes, and close mine.

---

Ten Minutes Later

"Man! You're ruthless! You actually made him watch it coming!" my employer has been praising me for the kill for about five minutes now, "Okay, you've proven yourself. You can – and will – call me YY, got it?" an odd thing to be called, but I guess you wouldn't want your name to make it public with what he's doing.

"Sure… how will you contact me when you need me to… negotiate?" he walked back around his desk and put a hand on my shoulder.

"You got a phone?" I nod, "Well then give me the digits!" he laughs a little as he took out a pad of paper. I told him my number and he put the piece of paper in his front pocket, "Now… I doubt you want your name out there… so what should I call you…?" he starts to walk around me like a hungry shark.

"What ever you want…" when he made it back to the front of me, he got a smile on his face.

"I know! From now on, you'll be called Monster, got it?" monster… Akagi was right.

"S-Sure…" he walks back over to the desk.

"Okay, now for your pay from today. I think this'll cover it," he hands me a wad of money with a rubber-band on it, "Remember to keep your phone on, I could call you in the middle of the night, and you WILL do your job. Before you leave, tell me one thing, what's up with your hand?" without a word, I take the wad and head out the sun-bleached door.

On the walk home, I take out the butterfly knife he gave me and slowly made a notch on the side of the gun. In this neighborhood, nobody cared what you were carrying unless it was drugs. When I get back to NERV, I sneak back in and go into Asuka's room. I fall back onto her bed and stare at the ceiling. The trip would cost about 400000 Yen, so that was four men I had to kill… and I've already done one. I take out the gun and stare at the notch on it. A human life was being represented as a deep scratch on metal, and I was the one doing it. I had a reason though… I needed to get to Asuka… but I was a killer… apparently I've grown used to it.

"Shinji, Can I come in?" I hear Akagi's voice outside the door. I shove the gun into my back pocket and go over to open the door, "Are you alright? We think Gahiji is…" I cut her off.

"No, that was just a weird joke from him. He told me about it and I told him to leave me out of it. He got into trouble, didn't he?" she laughed a little.

"Yeah… listen… I'm sorry about last night…" I go back over to the bed and sit down.

"Don't worry about it," I noticed that she wasn't apologizing for what she said about me, "Are you sure that there isn't a way to get Asuka back?" she slowly nods her head.

"I'm sorry… we really can't do anything. She's out of our hands now," she's not out of mine though. I go over and pick up the once again forgotten Dietlinde. Her eyes have changed… there more… lifeless. They weren't full if joy as they normally were. She just stared at me blankly as I cradled her.

"You can leave now…" with a sigh, she leaves. I go back over to the bed and lay down with my child, "You deserve a better life… you deserve parents that actually show they love you… at least you have mommy, right?" a single tear falls from my eye. She lies down on top of my chest and tries to relax, "I'm so sorry Dietlinde… I'll get mommy back soon…" Dietlinde looks up at my teary eyes and begins to whine herself. I wipe off my tears and try to comfort her, "I'm sorry…" I whisper under my breath. She once again sets her head down on my chest.

How could I do this to my family? I love them both so much, yet I've lost Asuka, and now its obvious Dietlinde isn't comfortable around me. Even if I did get Asuka back, there's no way that I would ever be able make up for what I've done. I still had to try though… I won't give up that easily. Just as I was about to fall asleep, my phone rings.

"Get your ass down here now, no excuses." The phone goes dead. YY hopefully had another job for me. I take Dietlinde to Akagi's and ask her to take care of her for awhile. Now I was turning into a liar, I told her that I was going for a walk, when in reality; I was going to kill a man. When I finally get to Rei's old house, I saw that YY was waiting for me outside, "Took you long enough! Look, you need to hurry, go to this address and take out the guy with black hair, a white shirt and white pants. You can't miss him; he's a good six-five. Get going! He won't be there much longer!" I take the address from him and run off to the number written on the paper. It wasn't that far away, just a few blocks. I saw him instantly as I turned the corner into a new neighborhood. He was talking to another man in all white… great… now I was dealing with a gang! I had to take him out from back here… I couldn't risk being seen. I take out the gun and line up my shot carefully at his head. A few seconds pass as I make sure I'm lined up, I only get one shot. When I felt confident about my aim, I pull the trigger. He instantly falls to the ground and I jet off as fast as I could. I've never ran so fast in my life, but I was pretty sure that no one saw me. I finally get back to Rei's old house and see him still outside.

"YY! I… got… him…" I couldn't catch my breath.

"Are you joking? He's dead? You actually did it! Damn man, he's taken out ten of my guys, and you kill him on your first try! Listen, you've earned a bonus, whatever you want, you got it!" I knew that I couldn't ask for the whole amount of money I needed, but I did have an idea.

"Thanks… can I get a flight to Germany? I need to go see someone," he goes wide eyed.

"But then… fine, I did say anything… you'll leave tomorrow night, got it?" that was a little too easy… so I pushed for one more favor.

"I need one more thing… I'm sorry… but I want out. I can't do this anymore; you were right, I'm just a kid, and I can't handle it anymore," he laughs a little, "Please."

"You know, I am normally right. Fine, you're out, but you need to take out one more guy. His name is T-Bone Mendez; he's been killing off my suppliers, so you know what to do. Take these, you'll need 'em." He handed me a few clips of ammo. With that, he walks off.

A/N- Can you guess where I got that name from?

I had no idea where to look, and I only had until tomorrow night to do it. All I could think of was to simply ask around.

A/N- Like Shinji's new job? Just in case I didn't make it clear in there, he hates it. Will he find T-Bone? How will he do it? Will he finally get to Asuka? Find out in the next chapter; Fight For Your Life, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	74. Fight for Your Life

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Chapter 74: Fight For Your Life

A/N- This chapter was proof-read by Frost-Eva-00. Thanks for the help… again!

Asuka's Room – Same Day – 7:00 PM

Once again, I passed off my child like a piece of meat. I was having Akagi take care of her while I went out to 'relax'. Like hell I was going to relax, I could get shot! I was just now exiting NERV without any trouble – Akagi told the guards to let me go. As I walked to Rei's old neighborhood, I play with the gun in my pocket. Now with two notches, it basically shows my fate. How could I kill another human? What the hell is coming over me? Why have I become this killer? When I am staring God in the eyes, how will I justify my actions? I know that there is no possible way for me to make up anything that I've done in my lifetime, and I've also come to terms with that. I was destined for damnation, and I can't change it.

When I finally get to Rei's house, I decide to ask YY if he had any information on T-Bone's whereabouts. I once again open the door to junkies and pushers. I see YY at his desk cutting his product, so I simply walk up to him.

"Hey, you got any information on this T-Bone guy? Where should I start?" he pops up his head and looks at me with a half smile.

"All I got is what he looks like and where he MIGHT be. He's a tall man – about six-ten – and he's Hispanic. He normally pushes his crap down at the docks, but there is no guarantee. That's all I got. Remember, if I don't see him dead, you don't leave and you still work for me. I want you to bring back his hand, use the knife. Now get going, I'm busy here," he goes back to his work as I walk off. The docks – which were a good five miles away – were normally off limits, but after the last angel was defeated, they've become a breeding ground for scum. I head back to NERV and grab my car.

By the time I get past all the traffic and drive the five miles, it was about nine and the streets were lit by lights. I park my car about a hundred feet away from the docks, not wanting suspicion to arise if he was there. The gates were wide open and the warehouses around the area had a good amount of light coming from the windows. One of them caught my attention though; it was solid red while the others were white. It seemed like an okay place to start, so I creep over to the half-open garage and peek in. it was literally filled with men in red staring at a man – also in red – up on a platform. The man that was up on the platform fit the description that was given to me, but I couldn't do anything about it. There were a good two hundred men on his side, and I was alone. Instead of getting shot, I go over to one of the many covered boats next to the warehouse and hop in. I then simply wait for the men to leave.

"We have been gathered here for one purpose… and one purpose only… to rid the world of scum like the Hundos. They have been killing off our men for years now, and it's time to end it!" he spoke with a loud voice as he made his speech, "Many of them are having a little get-together at 49th, and we are going to pay them a little visit," the men hoot and holler at his voice, "I want every single one of them dead! Not one will live! If you want out… too bad, either shoot or get shot, that is the way of the Mendez. Now go!" I hear a stampede of men running out of the warehouse, then cars driving off. After a few minutes, I hear silence.

I crawl out of the boat and once again creep over to the garage door and peek inside. I see T-Bone hoping off the stage and walking to the door. He was alone, so I decide to jump out at him. With my gin drawn, I reveal myself.

"Who the hell are you?" I aim the gun at him, "Oh, so you're another one of YY's guys, huh? Let me guess, he sent you here to kill me, right?" I fire a shot and he rolls out of the way, "You've really gone downhill, haven't you Shinji? You're working for a dealer, you know that right?" does everyone know me?

"I don't care. Just hold still, I'll make it quick," I fire another shot and he once again rolls out of the way.

"You'll make it quick?" he grabs the collar of his t-shirt and tears it off easily to reveal two holsters on either side of his body with a sawed-off shotgun on each one, "How about not?" in an instant, he rips one out and firs at me. I blindly duck and by some miracle dodge the shot. I whip back up and fire one shot at him. I see him jerk a little, then look up at me, "You actually got skills kid! You're the first person to ever shoot me… unfortunately your prize is death!" he fires his last shot with that gun, and I run for cover. I roll over to one of the many abandoned cars and start to reload my gun – not an easy task with one hand. After about thirty seconds, I roll back out and look around for him.

"Were the hell are you?" I didn't see him anywhere, I didn't even hear anything.

"Oh, are you looking for me?" I turn around to see him aiming his last shotgun at me. I haul ass out of the way as he fired his gun, now I only had to deal with one more shot, "Damn! You're fast! Only one shot left… more then enough," I look at him again to see blood dripping from his fingers.

"How… are you not… feeling the pain?" I'm out of breath from running out of the range of his gun.

"Oh, it's a little thing I put together called Hawk. My own creation! It gets rid of any pain you might feel, and it's non-addictive… for me anyway. This stiff will make itself public as one of the most wanted drugs since weed in a few days. Now, enough of the formalities," he runs over to me with his gun drawn. I ran to cover once again as I hear a shot being fired, "God damnit!"

"Out of shells, huh?" I casually walk out to him, "Whatcha' gonna do now?" I raise my gun to his head.

"Die… plain and simple. Go ahead; pull the trigger, no one will miss me. You fought pretty good kid, I'll give you that," I walk closer to him and put the gun right between his eyes, "One question though… how's your daughter? Dietlinde, isn't it?"

"How the fuck do you know about her? I swear to God, if you did anything…" he cut me off.

"Whoa! Back up, I wouldn't kill a baby, I'm not THAT heartless. And how do I know about her? I've had my eye on you for some time now Shinji Ikari. I WAS going to hire you for my own, but YY beat me to it apparently. I know everything about you. I know about your father, I know about you piloting, I even know about your mother," how the hell?

"Shut up! Just shut up!" he laughs a little.

"What, afraid to hear this? Your father left you for work, didn't he? Why do you think he did that? He thought you were a failure, so he dumped you off. Hey, you've proven him wrong though. Look at you now, you're raking in cash like some can't imagine, and all you have to do is pull a trigger. Good for you," I put the barrel of the gun against his skin.

"I said shut up!" he once again laughed.

"Or what, you're going to kill me? Like I said, go ahead, I'm okay with death, but what will Asuka think? Do you think she'll trust you after what you've done?" no, "Hey, it was fun while it lasted with her wasn't it? She's a pretty nice piece of ass, don't ya think? And you get to ride that! You lucky son of a bitch!"

"Shut the fuck up!" a loud bang echoes through the warehouse. I fall to my knees crying. He was right… she won't trust me if she finds out. I'm so screwed… I should have found a different way; I should have thought this through, "Damnit!" I don't deserve Asuka, I don't deserve Dietlinde, and I don't deserve to live. In a quick action, I trust the gun under my chin, "God Ikari!" I start to pull the trigger.

A/N- Suspense! Three men, three killings, and countless sins, how will Shinji live with this? Will he live with this? Find out in the next chapter; Stricken, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	75. Stricken

Chapter 75: Stricken

A/N- This chapter was proof-read by Frost-Eva-00, thanks!

"God, Ikari!" I slowly begin to pull the trigger. I can already feel my soul being ripped away into hell. My sins flash in front of me. I have broken every single one of the seven sins.

Lust: My time with Asuka. I wanted it so bad… I damn near craved it. She was so beautiful that night, in more ways then one. Her eyes were different; they had a new sparkle in them, a new shine. I knew that we both wanted it, but I knew that she wasn't ready for it. Even so, I still went along with it, knowing that so many things could go wrong. I let myself go and slept with Asuka, not that I regret it, but I certainly think about if I made the right choice. My time with Sam. I'm not even too sure if that could be called sex, but at the time I thought it was. During the act, I felt as if I was taking advantage of her. She loved Cass, not me, and yet I was still the one to take her virginity. She didn't say a word when I finished, she just went to sleep and that was it. In my case with Asuka, we talked for quite awhile afterwards. The conversation wasn't even about sex, it was about normal subjects. It was the same as if we were on the streets; the only difference was that we weren't on the streets, but in a bed with her head on my chest and a leg around me. Sam was just… odd during the act. She would occasionally stop and not move a muscle, then continue. Sure, I knew that she was Lust, but it was such a perfect copy, I still see her as the real thing. Two times, Two times I have broken that sin, and I don't regret either one. I deserve this.

Pride: This began when I first started to date Asuka. I felt proud that I was able to date the girl that boys at school could only dream of dating. I was proud of the fact that I was kissing, sleeping, and spending time with such a beautiful woman. I knew that I wasn't exactly lucky to have gotten her. I did work – in my eyes – hard to get that. I never gave up on trying to get her, and when I did, I felt awesome. My pride after actually having sex with her was… astronomical to say the least. How was it that such a weak boy could have the opportunity of sleeping with her? That is the question in my mind now, but back then I thought it was simply because of our love. Apparently I was wrong. I deserve this.

Envy: Every single day before I dated Asuka, I envied Asuka, I envied Misato, and I even envied my father at times. I would have taken any other life beside my own; I just wanted to switch lives with anyone. I still do envy Asuka at times, her strength and looks have always gotten my attention. How I wish I was even one iota as strong as her. She wouldn't have resorted to killing men for money. She would have had the will power to find another way. I can honestly see her working at some run-down store for chump change before she would do this. I – on the other hand - had made the wrong choice. I chose the cowards way out. I chose the path of darkness. I deserve this.

Gluttony: This basically exists in all of us at times. I doubt anyone can say that they have never either craved to or actually eaten until they felt sick. Whenever I would finish a meal that I have damn near inhaled, I can't help but think of people out there starving while I eat like a wild animal. I deserve this.

Sloth: Simply taking this job was enough to be called sloth. I took the fastest and easiest way to earn money. Instead of working an honest job like most people, I have a job where I can easily earn three times in a day what most earn in one day. All I have to do is apply pressure to a trigger, some people actually die they work so hard. Hell, even sellers work harder then I do for less money. I deserve this.

Greed: I have many cases of this. The most apparent is me wanting Asuka all to myself. I would get so pissed when I saw other guys looking at her with desire, like Gahiji would. I would constantly wish for strength when I fought. I would always want the highest sync score, whether I showed it or not. I would desire death to those I hate. I desired death to my father, and almost went as far as to kill him myself. I loved seeing him so helpless, and I wanted more of it. I also wanted to see Karsten die. I wanted to feel his pulse stop under my grip. I deserve this.

Wrath: I show this more than anyone will ever know. Sometimes it may be mentally, but I have a very angry soul. The smallest thing can set my mind off. I have showed this anger before when my Eva would go berserk. All my hate, anger, and strength would be at an all-time high at those points. I would literally go crazy at those times; destroying, beating, and even eating my opponents. When someone would hurt Asuka, it would do the same thing. Seeing her hurt makes me… there just isn't a word for it. I simply lose my mind. I am willing to kill anyone and anything that would try to hurt her, including myself. I deserve this… I deserve death!

"Shinji!" I whip open my eyes and look around to see where the call came from, "Shinji!" another call. It sounded familiar… like someone I knew, "What the hell do you think you're doing?" I still see nothing. When my eyes glance over to the garage door, I see Ritsuko standing there.

"What are you doing here?" the gun leaves my neck.

"Shinji… what have you done? Did you…?" I see a tear form in her eye, "Give me that!" she takes the gun from my hands, "What the hell are you thinking?"

"I… don't want to live… I deserve to die…" I drop my head in shame, "Please… just leave…"

"Why did you do this? Why did you kill this man?" at least I had a reason for that. I struggle to my feet and look her in the eye. I feel myself starting to cry, and I simply let it go. With tears running down my cheeks, I give my pathetic excuse.

"I'm… getting Asuka back… you didn't help with it, so I took it into my hands. I'm leaving tomorrow. I'm going to Asuka…" I get a quick and hard slap from her.

"That is no fucking excuse! You took life Shinji, do you understand that? I don't care what you think of it, what will God think of you? What will Asuka think?" like that hasn't crossed my mind.

"I couldn't care less what God sees in me… and Asuka…" I stop. Ritsuko looks at me, and then takes me in her arms.

"She won't know… I promise. I won't let her find out. No one will find out… I'll make sure of it," I cry into her shoulder, "Shinji… look at me," I pull back and look into her eyes.

"I'm… so sorry…" like it mattered what I said at this point.

"Don't apologize to me. I should apologize to you. I let you get like this, I let you become so sinful, and I shouldn't have said what I did. I'm sorry… for letting you go…" she hugs me again. We stood there for awhile, simply standing there crying.

"We… need to get going… now…" I get away from her and start to walk off. I knew that the men might be back soon, so we needed to leave, "Get in your car and get back to NERV now. I'll explain later," I still had tears running down my face.

"Meet me back in my office, okay?" she climes into her car and drives off fairly quickly. Apparently she knew what was going to happen. After she got out of sight, I go back to the body and get my proof. Cutting it off was horrible, blood poured onto the cement as I saw at his wrist. He was still warm, and I felt as if he was still alive. When I finally get it off, I grab one of the fabric bags nearby and wrap it up. I had to go back to Rei's before the night was over, so I sped down the streets and ran into her house.

"YY! I need to go, but here," I throw the hand on his desk and start to jog out.

"Nice kid! Too bad I'm losing you, you're the best there is!" I slam the door as I exit. I once again speed to NERV and run inside. I needed to make it look like I came straight here, so I had to hurry. Before I walk into Akagi's office, I catch my breath and casually walk in.

"Okay, the first thing I needed to ask you was how are you getting to Germany?" I thought we cleared this up.

"I'm not going to lie to you. I was being paid to kill men. He was the last one, I'm leaving tomorrow," I can literally see her heart sink as I spoke those words.

"How… many… did you kill?" she wasn't going to like the answer.

"He was the third," she damn near faints.

"You killed three people! Oh my God! Shinji, I know you wanted to see Asuka, but three!" she was going to get me caught!

"Lower your voice!" she takes a long sigh, "I know what I did was far beyond wrong, and I know that I will pay for it later, but right now I don't care," she gets up and goes over to a file cabinet.

"I wasn't going to show you this, but it looks like you need some convincing," she takes out a CD and puts it in a computer, "Asuka is… not how you know her. The NERV in Germany can do as they wish to there pilots," my heart sank when she said that.

"Is something wrong with Asuka?" she still hasn't pressed play.

"You don't want her back…" she presses the button and a screen pops up with her in an entry plug hugging her legs.

"Please… let me go… I don't want this…" I hear a faint mumbling coming from her, "Don't do it again…" her voice is uneasy. The LCL starts to fade to black, and she starts screaming. "Don't do it again! Stop! Please! I don't want…" she stops and the LCL turns back to yellow to show her ghost white. She has let go of her legs and she loosely hung in her seat. Her eyes are wide and her jaw is hanging wide open. She looks over at the comm. screen. She starts to mouth words, "Please… kill… me…" the LCL once again turned black and she screamed once more. It wasn't even words at this point, just a painful scream. After a few more seconds, the LCL turns back to yellow. Her eyes were now only slightly open and revealing a dark shade of red where her beautiful blue eyes were. She swings her head back up to the screen and once again mouthed words, "Just… end it… kill me…" the screen goes black.

"A-Asuka…" I fall to my knees sobbing into my hands.

"This was sent here as a push for the new dummy plugs. They are supposed to be used on top of the unmanned Evas, but they are testing it on Asuka. I still have no idea what exactly it's doing to her," I can't breathe… I really can't breathe. Seeing her like that… it was torture. My chest is killing me and I find it impossible to take in breaths, "You're going to need more then just a sob story to get to her. She's basically living in the Eva. She's not allowed to leave the plug until the experiment is over," I still couldn't breath, "Shinji, get up. I want to… Shinji?" she leans down and looks at me, "Oh shit!" she runs over to her desk and pulls out something, "Open your mouth!" with my eyes clenched, I stress my jaw open. She puts something under my tongue and I black out.

A/N- What do you think happened to Shinji? What IS happening to Asuka? Will Shinji get to her? Okay, seriously, there are so many things going on right now, I can't sum up this chapter and the next with questions. Just read the next chapter; One More Problem, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	76. One More Problem

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Chapter 76: One More Problem

A/N- This chapter was checked by Frost-Eva-00, thanks for the help!

The Next Morning

My brain is slowly coming back. I can feel it switching on function after function, and eventually I awake and find myself in a hospital bed. Akagi is on a chair sleeping across the room.

"Akagi," I wasn't exactly in the mood to be nice. I wanted her awake, now, "Ritsuko, wake up," she begins to stir and I see her eyes open.

"Oh… you're up. How do you feel?" she slugs over to my bedside. Come to think of it… I feel like crap.

"Horrible… what happened?" images of Asuka flashed in my mind. God… what were they doing to her? What were they doing that could make her beg for death? My heart once again starts to hurt and I find it hard to breath. A loud beeping fills the room.

"Whoa! Shinji, calm down!" she once again puts something under my tongue, which soon dissolves. The pain in my chest goes away and I'm able to breathe easily, "You need to stay calm. I think the stress is finally getting to you…" getting to me?

"What is wrong with me this time?" she pulls a chair over and sits by my bedside.

"Last night after you saw Asuka, you had a heart attack. You need to calm down, too many things are going on with you right now, and the stress is affecting you physically. I'm not too sure that going to Germany is the best thing for you right now… just let me go," I had a heart attack? I will be the first to admit that I have plenty of stress, but that?

"Hell no! I am going to Germany, and I am getting Asuka back! I don't care what happens to me!" at this point, that was true. I couldn't care less what happens to me.

"I knew you'd say that… if you're going to be stubborn about it, at least bring these with you," she hands me a bottle with pills in it, "if you feel your heart hurting or find it hard to breath, put one of these under your tongue. You have about fifty in there, so it should hold you off until you get back. I'll take care of Dietlinde," great, now not only did I not have a hand, my heart is screwed up.

"Thanks…" I needed to go talk to YY about the flight, "Can I go to Asuka's room? I just want to sleep," sob story, but it worked.

"Sure, just remember what I said," I get up out of the bed and walk to Asuka's room. After about ten minutes, I leave for Rei's. I decided to take my car, not wanting to start yet another attack. When I get there, I see YY outside selling his merchandise.

"Yo Monster!" he sees me and calls me over.

"Hey," he takes the guys money and the addict walks off, "listen, I need the plane ticket for tonight," he reaches in his back pocket and pulls it out.

"I'm a man of my word, you leave at nine. If you don't mind my asking, why are you going?" I felt as if I had to tell him.

"I need to go see my fiancé… she's… I just need to go see her," I take the ticket from him, "Really… thanks for the help… I owe you," he waves a hand in the air.

"Forget about it. I'm gonna miss you; you're the best damn killer I've seen. You're still a kid though… maybe we'll get together some day and start our own business?" he always made his work sound like it was a real job.

"Sorry, I doubt it. I got a family to think about… I only did this for some extra money," greed.

"Family? I thought you said she was… oh! You have a kid?" I nod, "Really? Well, good luck. Try and stay away from people like me, you have a life which I lost some time ago," I never thought a dealer could be so… deep. He was actually pretty nice.

"Thanks," with nothing more said, I walk back to my car and drive back to NERV. On the way, I got to thinking about how exactly I'm going to get Asuka back. Like she said, there're not just going to hand her over. I really couldn't think of anything… so like always, I'll just wing it. When I finally get back to Asuka's room, I frown slightly to find that Dietlinde wasn't in there. I needed to spend some time with her before I left… it could easily be the last time I see her. Almost like clockwork, someone knocks at the door.

"Hey Shinji, Can I come in?" it was Ritsuko, hopefully with Dietlinde.

"Sure," the door opens to reveal what I hoped it would. Akagi held Dietlinde in her arms as she walked in.

"I thought that you might want her before you leave. Do you?" I take her from Akagi's arms and cradle her.

"Yeah… thanks…" after a few seconds of silence, she speaks up.

"Do you have any idea what you're getting into?" none.

"No, not at all, I'll figure it out as I go," she chuckles a little.

"That's just like you. You know, I'm not going to soften it, you could die. Asuka could die. Are you willing to risk that?" as long as I got her out of that plug, I don't care what happens to me.

"Yeah… I'll do anything for her… I'll even die…"

---

Same Place – 8:00 PM

I'm getting ready for my flight, more mentally then physically. I was literally preparing myself for death. I just kissed Dietlinde and put her to bed in Akagi's office. I had to fight back tears when I saw her face; it was almost like she was begging me to stay. My last words to her were 'I'll be back with mommy… I promise,' and it killed me to say that. How could I be leaving her like this? I claim to love her, yet I constantly leave her alone. She deserves a better father then me. Painfully, I push these emotions out of the way and walk to my car.

"Wish me luck," I whisper into the night air as I crawl into my car. With my mind racing, I drive to the airport. I had no idea how I was going to get to her, or even get into the German NERV for that matter, but I was going to do it. Come to think of it, they should just let me in if I flash my ID card, I DO outrank them after all. Okay, so getting in wouldn't be all that hard, but past that point is basically impossible. I wish Akagi would have given me back the gun; I could have used it if I were to get it past the security. Then I remember that I still had the knife YY gave me… and I leave it in my pocket. I knew I was risking getting caught, but I could use this later.

I finally pull up to the airport and reluctantly leave my car. A small voice in the back of my head prayed that it would still be here when I got back, but the majority of me didn't care. I walk through the cold night air as I enter the busy building.

"Japan to Germany, ten minutes. Japan to Germany, ten minutes," a call rang through the building. Crap! Only ten minutes? I run to my loading bay and slow down as I get in line. I swear the woman checking the tickets, could not have possibly gone any slower. Ten minutes my ass, more like half an hour. When the line finally withered into just me, I nearly jump onto the plane. By some miracle, the metal detector didn't pick up my knife. How it didn't was beyond me, it was a six-inch piece of metal… closed! The blade alone was a good six inches on its own! Finally… I was finally going to see Asuka… we'll be together again soon. I take my seat at a window and the seat next to me was soon filled with another man.

"So, what are you goin' to Germany for?" great, I got one of the guys that wouldn't shut the hell up!

"Family…" I stare out the window as I spoke.

"Really? Personally, I'm goin' for vacation!" silence… peace… which only lasted for about ten seconds, "What family are you seeing?" please just shut up.

"My fiancée…" he laughed a little.

"So, you're getting one of those mail-order wives, huh?" I shoot my head in his direction and glare into his eyes.

"Take my advice… shut the fuck up," he sat there wide eyed and kept quiet, "Learn some respect asshole," I turn back and look out the window. I hear him adjust in his seat, obviously uncomfortable.

"The plane will be lifting off soon. We will have to ask that you buckle up until further notice. Thank you," a stewardess spoke over the intercom. I reach down and do as I was told. I lean back my head and relax… soon I fall asleep under the soft humming of the engines.

A/N- Off to Germany! So, how do you think Shinji will get into NERV? Will his heart hold out? Here's an interesting little fact about this chapter, I was originally going to have him miss the flight and have to sneak onto a different plane, but I decided against it. Too much strain on his heart to make it realistic. Anyway, find out what happens in the next chapter; Making A Killing, until then, keep on keepin' on!

A/A/N- Okay, I'm only doing this because a few people sent me personal messages telling me to do it. After seeing how many reviews my new fic and this one have been getting lately, I'm raising the bar. Now I will post a chapter at 8 reviews. The last two chapters have gotten nine, so I'm not going over what I've seen. Remember, people recommended this to me.


	77. Making A Killing

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Chapter 77: Making A Killing

A/N- This chapter was proof-read by Frost-Eva-00. Thanks again for the help. Also, I can see that you all took the eight review thing easily! I got 12 reviews in less then ten hours!

Plane – Ten Hours Later

The jerk next to me has kept me up ever sense he fell asleep. His snoring was like a goat getting tortured! I punched him a few times, but he didn't wake up. I had just given up at this point.

"Sir would you like something to eat?" the stewardess was walking around with a metal cart offering over-priced food.

"No thanks…" she gave a sweet smile and continued to ask around. I hear men starting to talk loudly near the front of the plane, causing a baby to start crying… just perfect. As if I wasn't annoyed enough.

"Hey! Will you shut up? Some of us are trying to sleep here!" a man behind them yells into their ears. They turn around and respond.

"How about not? Now, how about you lean back and relax before I get pissed?" one of the three men said. The look in his eyes was crazy… seriously. It looked like a wild animal.

"Fuck off!" the man yelled again. The two guys laugh and stand up.

"I'm sorry, I'm going to have to ask you to sit down," they didn't though, instead, they walked down the isle and stopped when they reached my seat.

"Why? We might get hurt?" he reaches behind him and pulls out a .9mm, "I doubt it," he raises the gun to her head and sends a bang through the plane. Almost everyone screams as she falls back onto the floor, "Okay, everyone, get to the back and get down unless you want this," he fires another shot at her lifeless body. People scramble to the back while I casually walk back there. I was used to death, it didn't bother me, "Hey you! Get over here!" he points to me and calls me over.

"Need something?" I was being way too calm about this, but it just didn't bother me.

"Okay you cocky little brat, you mind telling me why you're acting like this? You do realize you're going to die, right?" he raises the gun to my forehead and presses it up against my flesh. I keep an emotionless face the entire time.

"Go ahead… do it…" I tempt him, but he chickens out.

"What? Are you asking to die kid?" I reach into my pocket, "Hey! Let me see your hands!" I finish grabbing the knife and in an instant, I swing it open, revealing the blade. I've been practicing on getting it open with a flick of my wrist, and I'm getting pretty good at it if you ask me.

"See em'?" I thrust the blade into the side of his neck, and his arms fall loose, "Now fall…" I rip it outwards towards my body, exposing his open trachea and veins. His head falls backwards as he fell to me.

"What the fuck!" I see the other man charging at me with his gin drawn. When he gets close, I put up my dead hand and catch the barrel of the gun in my palm. Of course my fingers hung loosely, but I had it in my hand none the less.

"Pull the trigger… I might do a trick…" he does as I told him to, sending blood flying and splattering on his face and nearby seats. I don't even move a muscle.

"What… are you?" his face turns white as I move the gun out of the way.

"I'm a monster…" I take the bloody hand and shove it in his face. I go next to his head and whisper in his ear, "and I'm a killer…" I shove the knife deep into his stomach, making him scream under my bloody palm, "Now die…" I thrust the knife upward towards his chest, and he falls to the ground. Blood pooled on the ground from my hand, the slit neck and the gashed stomach.

"Oh my God!" one of the stewardesses runs over to me and grabs my dead hand. I still had an emotionless face on as I look at her, "Get me some bandages! Hurry!" it's not like it hurt; the bleeding just needed to stop.

"Is everyone okay?" I look back at the cluster of people, all staring at me wide eyed. I give a sweet smile as I speak again, "Good. Sorry for the commotion I caused, I doubt these guys will bother us anymore," I wipe off my blade on my shirts and flip it back closed.

"How… are you not…" the woman looks up at me as she began to wrap up my hand.

"Hurt? Dead hand makes for a great decoy!" I smile as she finishes wrapping it up, "Thanks… I take it we have to make an emergency landing now?" she nods, "Ah shit…" I mumble as I take my seat again. I lean back in my seat and close my eyes.

"T-Thanks… for helping…" I hear one man in the back say. I turn around and look at him.

"Helping? I just killed two human beings and you call that helping?" I laugh a little, "You sure have a messed up definition of helping…" the only noise that was heard was the sound of a baby crying. I was the only one that took a normal seat, the rest of the people stayed in the back. I'm sure that they were creeped out by the two bodies, but I was okay with them. The emergency landing wasn't exactly a quick thing. We were in the middle of the Pacific, thus nowhere to land. We just rode the plane for a few hours until we landed in the UK.

---

United Kingdom – Five Hours Later

The plane was just landing in some random city in UK. This was going to set me back at least a day, and I knew it was going to kill me to wait, but I didn't have a choice. As the plane came to a halt, I casually get up and step over the cold bodies.

"You comin'?" I look back at the people as they slowly began to follow me, "They won't hurt you, I'm pretty sure they're dead," I offer a smiling hand to a woman as she stepped over the men. She took it and moved on. I stayed there and offered a hand to anyone that wanted it. I was the last one to get off the plane, and when I did I was met with a harsh tackle to the ground, "What the hell! Get off me!" I feel hand-cuffs being slapped on my wrists.

"_You are under arrest for hijacking an international plane. You have the right to…_" a woman pulls him off of me.

"_He saved us! Take those things off him! The real criminals are still on the plane!_" they were speaking English as they argued. He leans back down and snaps the cuffs off. When he was done, he helps me to my feet.

"_Sorry man… you're still going to have to come with me, I need…_" I cut him off.

"Listen, I don't speak English. Can I get a translation?" he just looked at me with a confused face.

"Sorry, he thought you were the hijacker. He's asking you to come with him," finally, a person with a brain!

"Tell him two things; one, the hijackers are dead, and two, why should I go with him? I didn't do anything!" yeah! Aside from brutally killing two men and acting like nothing happened, nothing! "Didn't the captain tell them that the men were dead?" apparently not.

"I guess not, hold on, _the real hijackers are dead, this man saved us,_" she began to speak in English again.

"_Well… yeah… but he saved all of our lives,_" the cop puts a hand on his chin.

"_What did he use? How did he kill the men?_" the woman's eyes went wide.

"_A… knife…_" the man once again puts cuffs on me, "_What are you doing? Wasn't saving all of our lives enough to repay for that?_" he began to walk me to the car.

"_He brought a weapon on a plane, that's a crime on its own. I'm not even considering the murder charges. This young man's going away for awhile,_" I had no idea what they were saying, but that little voice in the back of my head just went 'shit!'

The car ride to God only knows where took forever. He tried to speak to me a few times, but I just kept quiet. I knew that he was taking me to prison, and I'm okay with that. I have a little piece of plastic that can get me off scotch free from any charges. When we finally pulled up to the police department, he drug me inside forcefully. Might as well make his pay worth while! I think I kicked him a few times…

"So, this is the so-called 'hero'? You brought a weapon on board, how do we know that you weren't the hijacker, huh?" looks like they called for a translator. He was a heavy-built man about five foot nothing.

"Well, I wouldn't call myself a hero, but I have saved the world just over twenty times. Why?" the little man laughs a little, "What, you don't believe me? Reach into my front left pocket, see what you find," I smile as he glares at me.

"Do you think this is a game kid? You're going to prison!" a chuckle under his glare.

"Just do it…" he shoves his hand in my pocket and pulls out my ID card and examines it for a few seconds, "Now if you don't mind, can you take these off of me?" the man snaps and the officer takes off my cuffs.

"Sorry Mr. Ikari… I didn't know who you were… hell, I still don't…" he mumbled that last part under his breath.

"Now that my flight was canceled, do you mind getting me to Germany?" he lets out a long sigh.

"Fine… as long as you don't mention this little slip up to the commander…" that wouldn't be a problem, "Is tomorrow okay with you? I think the next flight leaves at nine in the morning," great, now I had to wait another day!

"_Come on! You're a translator, so translate! What the hell is going on?_" the chief finally spoke up.

"_He's a pilot of an Eva. We can't touch him. He's leaving for Germany tomorrow,_" the chief rolled his eyes and went to some office.

"Okay, until you leave you're welcome to stay at my place. It's getting late, so I'm leaving right now. How about it?" might as well, I don't have anywhere else to go.

"Sure, thanks," we start to walk out of the building, "Hey, do you have any idea who those hijackers were? Were they working for anyone?" I'm bored, so I might as well find out exactly who I killed.

"No idea. We think that they were just some thugs," we get to his car – which was a white jeep – and get in, "It doesn't really matter now though…" a long pause of silence as he quietly curses to his jeep to start. When it rings to life, he continues to talk, "Oh! I forgot to introduce myself, I'm Keith. If you don't mind my asking why are you going to Germany?" why does everyone have to know?

"To see my fiancée, she's been away for awhile, so I wanted to see her," he looks over at me and raises an eyebrow.

"You're engaged? What are you, fifteen? Aren't you a little young?" not where I come from. Come to think of it, that must have seemed young for Asuka. She did say that, but at the time I just brushed it off. She must have thought that I was a freak for asking! I need to clear that up with her after we get settled back in.

"Sixteen, and yeah, I'm engaged. I have a daughter too, Dietlinde is her name," his eyes went wide, "Oh come on, don't' you know anything about Japan? You speak the language! A person can get married at sixteen, so that's what we're doing."

"No… I didn't know that… whatever you think is best, man," I did think this is best… at least I hope it is, "Sorry if my place is a little messy," we pull into his garage, "I live alone, so I don't really worry about it," he opens the door to reveal basically Misato's room in house form. This was a little more then messy, this was a dump! Thank God I only have to stay here the night!

"Don't worry about it, thanks for letting me stay," he walks over to the sofa and pulls out a bed.

"I'm goin' to bed now; I have to get up early. I'll be gone by the time you wake up, so feel free to anything in the fridge. Sleep well," with a stretch, he walks off to a room and closes the door. I fall back onto the pull out bed and try to relax.

"Damn… I can't believe I have to wait another day…" I take out the knife and flip it open, "Now I've got six men on my back…"

Killing those men with the knife… was horrifying. I got blood on my hands for the first time, and I actually saw the terror in their eyes as I slowly sliced them up. With a gun it was quick, they didn't seem scared, and they knew it would be painless, but with a knife though… it was an entirely different experience for me. They had to endure the pain and fear of either bleeding to death or taking the pain of a quick death. There were still a few spots of blood on the blade, now dry and flaking off. I rub the remainder of my sin off the blade and flip it closed. Staying up will get me nothing; I might as well go to sleep. I had a whole night of nightmares and pain in front of me… I close my eyes and drift to sleep.

A/N- This is starting to become more action then romance, huh? It'll go back to normal eventually, I promise. Shinji's getting a little depressed. Will he overcome it? Will he get Asuka back? Find out in the next chapter; Running, until then, keep on keepin' on!

A/A/N- By the way, if you are going to flame me, fine, but don't hide behind a name like '?' when you do it. If you don't have the courage to say it using your real account or at least put a name, don't do it. And just so you know , I won't be ending it any time soon. So HA! Deal with it!


	78. Running

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Chapter 78: Running

A/N- 200 reviews! Yes! Thanks again for sticking with me this far. This chapter was proof-read by Frost-Eva-00. Thanks for the help man!

Keith's House – 8:00 AM

I wake up to the sound of a garage door opening. So much for leaving long before I get up, I sit up and rub my eyes, thinking of the dreams I had last night. I was right… horrifying…

A/N- Flashback! Anything in flashback will be in italics.

_I'm running through the German NERV, searching frantically for any sign of Asuka. All the signs are written in the native language, so I'm basically searching in the dark here. I finally get to a door with a humming sound behind it. I whip it open and see Asuka standing in the doorway staring at me with those blood-red eyes._

"_Where were you? You let me go. Why did you let me go? I thought you loved me," she stares at me blankly._

"_I do! I came this whole way for you!" she continues to stare at me._

"_But you killed six men by doing so. Is that how you want to label yourself? As a killer? What if someone got to Dietlinde or me? You wouldn't care. You would just move on with your life. You would just play the next girl you see. Sam's pretty cute, and I know you think so. You kissed her, you slept with her, and you had sex with her. I thought you said nothing will ever change that." I heard a slight tone of anger in her voice._

I get up and walk over to the stove. He said to help myself to the fridge, so I was. Either out of my subconscious or out of habit, I start to make Asuka's favorite, Belgian waffles with syrup.

"_Asuka, I DO love you! Please don't think otherwise!" she puts a hand softly on my cheek._

"_I used to think you did…" I see a small cut slowly form across her neck, and eventually grow into a slit neck. She falls backward and I slam the door shut. I run into the nearest room I could find and see a single crib with a spotlight over it. The rest of the room was pitch black. I slowly walk over to the crib and look inside. There laid Dietlinde with her bear, eyes staring up at me._

"_Dietlinde… what are you doing here?" I start to pick her up._

"_Don't touch me!" a voice comes from nowhere. It echoes through the room like a ghost, "You left me to die!"_

"_Dietlinde?" her eyes are full of hate. I pull back my hands and stare at her._

I sit down and begin to eat my poorly made meal. I start to think about Asuka, and how scared she looked in that plug. How was I going to save her? WAS I going to save her?

"_You left mommy to die! You hated us! Why do you hate us daddy? Why do you hate me? You said you loved me! You held me in your arms! You looked so proud when you first saw me… what happened?" was this Dietlinde talking?_

"_N-Nothing happened… I didn't leave you to die… I do love you!" she gets fire in her eyes._

"_Liar! You don't love mommy or me! I looked up to you as a father, I loved you, and in the short time I knew you I grew to love you. What happened to you? You changed so much…" I see tears begin to form in her eyes._

I start to call for a cab for the airport. How the hell was I going to tell him where to go? After looking around his house for awhile, I find a Japanese to English translation book. Score!

_I start to pick her up, and when I get her in my arms, I begin to cradle her._

"_Let… go of… me… I don't want you! Let go of me! You're not my daddy! Give me back my daddy!" she pushes away from my grip and falls to the ground. Her head literally caves in and she lays there lifeless. I once again run out of the room in tears. I thrust into a new room and see Karsten standing there with the revolver. He had it aiming point blank at my forehead._

"_Why hello Mr. Ikari… how was your day?" a loud bang echoes through the room._

"_Air… port…?_" I'm trying to communicate with the driver. By some miracle, he understands me and drives to the airport. I board the plane just as the last call for it was made. This time, I take my seat near the front, just in case. Of course with my luck, they'd attack from the back! I was able to get to sleep fairly quickly; no babies, no snoring, no guns, just peace and quiet. That's exactly how I wanted it.

A/N- Flashback over. Now italics mean a different language again.

---

Five Hours Later

"_The plane will be landing soon. Will you please fasten your seatbelts and raise your seat to the upright position. Thank you,_" I had no idea what she just said, but seeing everyone starting to get ready for a land told me enough. The plane shook and rattled as we took a hard landing. I finally was in Germany. Slowly, we get off the plane and I get to the nearest phone. I had no idea where NERV was, so I had to call Akagi and ask about it. After a few rings, I hear her voice.

"Hello?" thank God!

"Ritsuko, its Shinji. I need to know where NERV is," people stared at me as I spoke.

"Okay, give me a sec'…" after a few minutes of waiting in silence, she speaks again, "Okay, you're going to need to go to Berlin and go as far north as you can, but stay in Berlin. It'll be right there. It's about four times the size of the Japanese NERV, so you'll see it right away," sounded easy enough.

"Okay, thanks Rits'. See you later," I was about to hang up the phone when she spoke again.

"Shinji… be careful… get Asuka back…" I hear some distress in her voice.

"Don't worry; I'll be back by tomorrow. Thanks," with that, I hang up the phone. Berlin… great… how the HELL was I going to get a cab to take me there? I guess I could just say 'Berlin' and point north and pray to God he gets it. I wave down a cab – which by the way took forever – and go on with my plan.

"_Where to buddy?_" damn it…

"Berlin…" I point at the north sign on a compass he had mounted on the headboard. Like I hoped, he started to drive off with a smile… then I realized something… how was I going to pay? Sure, I had money, but all Yen, not whatever the hell they use here. I'm sure I could run faster then him… after about thirty minutes, he pulled to a stop. Akagi was right, it was huge! We were about two hundred feet from it.

"_Okay, you see the meter. Now pay up,_" I start to reach into my pocket, pretending to get money, then jet out of the car and run to NERV, "_You son of a bitch!_" he ties to use the car to chase me, but luckily it wouldn't start. I hope this was a sign of things to come! When I get to the gates, I see two men standing there with guns drawn.

"Whoa! Hold up! I'm with NERV!" I take out my card and they put away the guns, "I'm pilot Ikari! I've been sent here for some testing," they open the gates and let me in. Without a word, I go inside and start to look around. After about five minutes of mindlessly wandering, I pull out my phone. I pray Akagi had the blueprints for this place.

"Hey Shinji. Are you inside?" how did she…?

"Y-Yeah… but I don't know where to go. Can you help?" she lets out a small chuckle.

"Of course I can! The MAGI has damn near ever piece of information there is on it! I have the blueprints here, just describe your surroundings to me," things are going my way today!

"Okay, I'm standing in the middle of a four-way intersection. One hall has no doors, the other has about ten, and the other has two. The one that I came down has one. Does that help?" after a few seconds, she speaks up.

"Okay, I know where you are. Go down the hall with two doors and go into the door to the left. You should be in a room with wires all around it. Got it?" I open the door to see what she described.

"Yeah, but it just looks like an electrical box to me, nothing else," she sighs a little.

"Shinji, do you want to get shot? You need to turn off the alarm. Pull out the thick blue wire and the alarm will be turned off. Once you do, you'll have three minutes before the main computer is alerted. After you pull it, run into the other room in that hall. You'll see an entry plug in there. That's Asuka. I know that you've done it before, so open the hatch and take her out," damn! My hands just got done healing from last time! It'll take longer with one hand too!

"Okay… here goes…" I rip out the wire and nothing happens. Following Akagi's instructions, I go into the other room and see the plug.

"Shinji, are you in the other room?" the plug was just laying there on the floor. A few wires came out from it, but aside from that nothing special, "Shinji? Are you there?"

"Y-Yeah… sorry…" one of the wires starts fill with a black fluid, then eventually goes into the plug. I hear Asuka scream again as I grab a hold of the hatch. It wasn't hot at all, just a little warm. I pull both latches open and the hatch swings open, "Asuka?" the LCL is still black, and I can still hear her screaming. I thrust my hand inside, dropping the phone, and grab her. No wonder she's screaming, it's hot as hell! I'm surprised it's not boiling! Painfully, I drag her out and see her pale face staring up at me.

"Shin… ji…" her red eyes stared up at me as her jaw loosely hung open.

"It's okay, I'm here Asuka…" I take her in my arms and start to run back out side where I came, only to find that it was being blocked by a metal wall, "Shit!" I start to run to God only knows where. Eventually come to a fork in the hallway.

"L-Left…" I hear a faint whisper coming from her, "Go… left…" she apparently knew what she was doing, so I follow her instructions. The long straight hall led me to two doors, each with German words on it, "Unit… 07… go… right…" Unit 07? "Go…" I open the door to see a huge Eva standing there. It was bright yellow, and had four eyes that shone bright white, just like Asuka's. The modeling was similar to my Eva, with a few changes. It had an open mouth and revealed a huge set of razor sharp teeth, "G-Get… in it…" was she telling me to pilot this thing? I see the plug sticking out of the back with an open hatch. She knew this much, so why object now? I carry her over to the plug and drop her in the LCL, and then I crawled into the pilot's seat. She was draped over my lap as I tried to start the thing.

"Any idea on how to start it?" she lugs her head up and looks at me. Normally, one would have to go through days of sync tests to make sure you're compatible with the Eva, but apparently that wasn't the case with this one. She looks over at a small switch that normally wasn't there. With a slow movement, she flips it and the Eva springs to life, "There's my smart Asuka!" she smiles slightly. I break away from the binds holding it up and start to walk towards the wall in front of me. With a quick jab, the wall falls to reveal open land. At first, I thought that I wasn't going to be able to run because of the power cord, but then I realize that this Eva has none, "So, this thing runs on… what, exactly?"

"Solar…" her eyes still stared up at me. It felt weird being in here without a plug suit on; I just had loose clothes that drifted in the liquid.

"You're the boss!" I start to run outside. This thing was fast! Easily three times as fast as my Eva! Within a few seconds, I was outside of Berlin and still running, all the while avoiding buildings. The trip was fairly peaceful until I get knocked down.

"Get your ass back here!" it sounded like Karsten… but I could understand him. I get up to see an Eva exactly like this one, only red, holding up a fist, obviously what knocked me down, "Give me back my dummy plug!" a small screen pops up with his face on it. Karsten was piloting the Eva! Asuka gets an enraged look on her face as she stares at the screen.

A/N- Karsten piloting an Eva? How did that happen? I got a little something planned, so it will make sense. Anyway, do you think Shinji will beat him? Will he even fight? What will happen to Asuka? Find out in the next chapter; New Discoveries, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	79. New Discoveries

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Chapter 79: New Discoveries

A/N- This chapter was proof-read by Frost-Eva-00. Thanks for the help man! And a few of the fighting moments were inspired by AsukaLangleySouryu ReiAyanami, so thanks with that too.

Same Place

"Get your ass back here!" it sounded like Karsten… but I could understand him. I get up to see an Eva exactly like this one, only red, holding up a fist, obviously what knocked me down, "Give me back my dummy plug!" a small screen pops up with his face on it. Karsten was piloting the Eva! Asuka gets an enraged look on her face as she stares at the screen.

Karsten's face had suffered badly from my beating. He has a large eye-patch over the right eye where I had caved it in. His jaw was literally made of metal. Screws held the shaped metal to his face. It looked like a normal jaw, just metal. It was – to say the least – creepy. A few cuts still remained on his face.

How was I going to fight him? I only had one hand, and that means one fist. I look down at Asuka, now staring at me. She gives me a warm smile and takes hold of the other control stick. Was she planning on piloting too? She nods slightly as a sign for me to fight.

"Fine, just let Asuka go!" he smiles a little.

"Stupid little boy… Asuka IS the dummy plug! What did you think was happening? Look at her eyes, her eyes tell it all. That red isn't there for decoration, that red shows that she's ready to become an Eva. We were just about to take her out when you came and stole her. Now if you don't mind, I believe you have my property." Like hell she was property!

"You're not taking Asuka again! She's staying with me!" I throw a punch, but he kicks my hand away.

"Don't you want to help the world? Isn't that why you pilot Eva? She will allow normal people to pilot, like me for instance. I was the first untrained man to enter an Eva and be able to pilot it, and it's all thanks to my little girl," she still had that look on her face.

"I don't care about the world!" I lunge at him and tackle him to the ground, "I only care about Asuka!" I see a knife where it normally would be on my Eva and grab it. I shove it into the open mouth of his Eva, pinning it to the ground. Blood starts to leak from the gash. I get up and stare down at him, "Just like last time, isn't it?" I give him a wicked smile. He still kept his emotionless face staring into my eyes, "Only this time… I will kill you."

"You can't do it. You don't have the guts to kill another human. You had the chance and passed it up, coward." I widen my smile and widen my eyes into his.

"You willing to bet on that?" I slam my foot on his throat, sending a scream through the city. We've already destroyed so many buildings, and I tried my best to avoid much more, but I also had to beat him, "Are you?"

"Y-Yes…" he grabs my foot and throws me across the city. I get up and look back over at him still on the ground. He reaches up and tears out the knife in his throat, sending blood flying, "Because you're just a kid," he raises his hands high in the air and slams them on the ground, thrusting him to his feet, "And you can't stand to stare death in the eyes." I once again charge at him and our hands lock in a vice grip. Now our Evas stared at each other with those open mouths. The faces were just yards apart from each other as we struggled for control. Asuka was struggling to hold the Eva's arm in place as we did this. Her arm began to shake. I knew she couldn't hold it much longer, I had to end this.

"I've done it before…" I smile again, "And you're doing it right now… you're staring at a monster!" I swipe my leg under him, sending him falling to the ground, "You're staring at a killer!" I slam my foot onto his stomach over and over, slowly making a crater in the earth. He grunted with each pounding, and after the fourth stomp, he catches my foot in mid-air.

"Hey Asuka! You want to know a secret about your little boyfriend?" he twists my foot, sending a cracking sound through the city and a scream from me, "He killed Dietlinde when you were away! He left her alone again, and she suffocated under the sheets!" Asuka's eyes went wide as she looked up at me, "He didn't love her! He doesn't even love you!" her jaw hung open as she stared at me.

"S-Shin… ji…?" I see a tear form in her eye, and then quickly disappear in the LCL. I'm balancing on one foot as Karsten held me up.

"Oh come on! Are you really going to believe him? Dietlinde is with Akagi!" I kick him away and land on my injured foot, "Ah! Damn it!" I clench my eyes shut in pain. I fall to the ground as I see him get up and walk over to me.

"It's true… your daughter's dead!" he slams a foot on my chest.

"No… she's not…" I pass out in pain.

---

"Where… am I?" I can't see anything, just blackness. I'm on the ground and I find it impossible to get up, "Where the hell is Asuka!" I'm thrashing to get up, but I can't.

"Calm down… I'm here…" I see a small glow in front of my face.

"What the hell are you? Let me up!" a human form begins to take shape from the glow.

"Shhh… just calm down…" it's a woman… her voice is so calming… it's like a sedative for me. I see color start to take shape on her. A face is also coming into view, "I'm here…"

"Who… are you?" she puts her hands on my face as her face finishes taking form.

"Mommy's here…" it was my mother! It was Yui! This was a trick… she's dead… Karsten was doing this! I struggle under the image's soft touch. I finally get a hand free and try to push her off of me, but my hand goes right through her, "So much hate Shinji… what happened?"

"Let go of me! You're not my mother!" I feel tears staring to form in my eyes.

"Shinji Ikari! Stop it!" her face gets serious, "You need to calm down! Do you want to save Asuka or not?" my eyes shoot open and I look into her eyes, "There…"

"But… how are you…" I suddenly believed her… this was my mother…

"What Gendo said was true… with one exception. I was in Unit 01 after the accident, but I entered you when you first started the Eva. I have been with you in every one of your fights," that means… she saw me…

"What are you doing here? Why are you here now?" she gives me a warm smile.

"To help save my child… and his wife…" she slowly sinks into my body and eventually disappears completely. I suddenly feel warm, and oddly, unafraid. The blackness starts to fade into a white, then into actual colors. The colors arrange themselves into an organized blur, and then the blur turns into my entry plug.

"Shinji… wake up…!" I look down to see Asuka in my lap again crying as she looked up at me. I look back up to see Karsten still hovering over me, about to land another stomp.

"I'm up!" I grab his foot in mid-air and throw him aside. I bring my knees to my chest and kick myself to my feet. I was able to stand! What about my ankle? Did she…? Karsten was up too, and staring at me.

"So, you're not dead, huh? I'll fix that!" he charges at me and I suddenly feel powerful. With his fist aiming at my head, he charges and eventually gets to me, where I catch it in my palm with ease. Asuka continues to hold the controls as she looks up at me. I suddenly feel warmth in my dead hand… I felt with my hand… it begins to glow a brilliant white and I feel a pulse start in it. I rise to my face and slowly clench my fingers into a fist. Asuka stared at this the whole time. I give him a wicked smile once more as I held his fist in place.

"Guess what I can do!" Asuka removes her hand from the controls and I grab a hold of it. My hand was still glowing a bright white as I threw a punch at his head. He caught this, ending with the two of us in a stalemate. I start to knee him over and over in the stomach, but he didn't let up.

"And guess what I can do!" the Eva's eyes turn dark red as he shoots the Eva's mouth even further open. He swings down his head onto my neck and bites deeply.

"AH! What… the HELL!" he was latched onto my neck, slowly sinking his teeth deeper and deeper into my flesh. I pull away from him, making a huge chunk of muscle and flesh leaves my body. Blood pours onto the city below as I back up, "You sick bastard!" the Eva swallows the chunk and actually smiles.

"What are you going to do about it?" I run over to him and as he saw this coming, he prepares to catch a fist or foot; instead I plant a hand on his head and flip over him, ending with me facing his back. He let out a small cry as I side-kicked him into a large building, making it fall onto his head. Without hesitation, I charge into the smoke and grab a hold of his neck. I raise him high above my head and make him look down on me.

"I told you… I'm a monster…" I put my other hand on his neck. In an attempt to escape, he grabs onto my hands, but with no leverage to the ground, it did nothing. As he screamed, I slowly began to twist the Eva's neck, "Let me inform you about the Evas…" he continued to scream, "You have what's called a synchronization score… which basically means you feel what the Eva feels… do you feel this?" I knee him in the groin, "Do you?" his eyes were closed and his head was held up high in pain, "That's what I thought!" I take away a hand and punch him continuously in the chest, slowly making the armor fall off, "You also have an entry plug, that's where you are right now…" I punch at the bare flesh of the Eva, slowly taking out chunks of flesh, "You could think of it as your safe haven…" I eventually find his entry plug and rip it out, leaving his Eva to fall back onto the rubble, "That is until someone – me in this case – finds it…" he opens his eyes, no longer in pain.

"Like I said, you can't do it…" I held his plug in my right hand.

"Let me finish… if one were to find it, one could end the fight right there. Meaning killing his opponent, but in this case…" I crack the plug in half carefully a pour him and the LCL onto my hand, "I think I'll make you suffer." He looks up at me with those uncaring eyes. I look at his face, he was talking. I could make out a few words. Apparently, he DID know Japanese; he was just being a jerk before.

"Do your worst!" I turn on the external microphone.

"Do my worst? Okay… how strong are you?" he just stands there, "How much can you lift? Seriously, you look like a strong man, tell me!" he mouths his words again.

"Three-fifty… benching…" I chuckle a little.

"I knew it! You are strong! So… since you're so strong… hold this up for as long as you can…" I put my other hand above his head and he trusts up his arms in an attempt to not get crushed. I actually had to look down on him to make sure he was still holding it up; it was no effort at all for me. His face begins to turn red and beads of sweat appear on his forehead, "Not bad… I wonder what a little more pressure will do…" I slightly push on the controls and he falls to one knee, still trying to hold it up. Soon, his other knee falls, "So, now you're on your knees… tell me, is this getting heavy?" I put a little more pressure and with a scream from him, I see his shoulder-blades cave into his lower back. Now all that was left of his arms were little stubs of fingers. He fell to the ground creaming in pain, "Awww… was that too much? Here, I'll make it all better," I throw his body into a nearby lake and watch the bubbles stop.

"S-Shinji…?" I look down at Asuka talking, "How… could you…?"

"He was going to kill us! I had to kill him!" he shook her head as tears fell into the LCL.

"How… could you… make him suffer…? You… tortured him…!" her eyes were angry.

"He deserved it! After all he did, would you want him to have a quick death? He almost killed you, he killed my father, he destroyed my hand, and he constantly hit you, I wasn't going to let that go!" her eyes went scared.

"Y-Your… face… so much… hate…" my eyes go wide. I had changed. Now even Asuka knew it.

"Sorry… how do we get home…?" I just wanted to change the subject; I didn't want to talk about this right now.

"C-Coward…" she reaches behind her and flips another switch. The Eva begins to lift up and I see that it had flames shooting from its feet. I guide it forward and soon it was shooting across the sky. The ocean passed under us within a few seconds. I didn't even really have to guide it too much; it somehow knew to go to Japan. With a few minutes, we were landing at the Japanese NERV. People gathered outside of the new Eva and stared with aw. I eject the plug and we safely land only a few yards from the Eva aside from miles away. Yet another feature this new Unit had. I opened the hatch to reveal Akagi standing in front of it.

"I knew you'd get her back!" neither I nor Asuka were smiling. I start to pick her up, but she pushes away from my arms.

"I… can walk… on my own…" she still couldn't speak right, even after all this time. She crawls out of the plug and slowly walks to her room.

"Shinji… what happened to her?" Akagi stood there wide eyed staring at her walking away. I finish crawling out of the LCL and begin to walk myself.

"She saw me…" that was all I said as I made my way away from Unit 06.

A/N- Ouch! Shinji must be hurting after what Asuka said! Do you think she will forgive and forget? How do you think this will be resolved? Find out in the next chapter; Overburdened, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	80. Overburdened

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Chapter 80: Overburdened

A/N- This chapter was proof-read by Frost-Eva-00, thanks again for the help!

Akagi's Office – The Same Day

"Shinji, what happened to her? She looked so… disturbed," I was at Akagi's office picking up Dietlinde. For some reason, my hand is dead again, once again limp. I decided against telling Akagi about it. I really wish she hadn't seen Asuka like that… I wish I hadn't seen her like that.

"I told you… she saw me. Plain and simple," I start to pick up Dietlinde, remembering my dream as I do.

"Do you mind being a little more descriptive? She wouldn't act like that just from seeing you. What happened?" I start to walk out of the room with Dietlinde in my arms. She was asleep, so I tried to keep it down.

"She saw me kill a man…" with that, I close the door. The walk to Asuka's room was long and dreadful. I was afraid of how she was going to react to seeing me again. With a sinking heart, I knock on her door. The door swings open and I see Asuka standing there with anger in her eyes… her blue eyes… looks like the side affects had worn off.

"Give me my baby! Get away from her!" she tears Dietlinde from my arms. Dietlinde wakes up and begins to cry because of this. Asuka begins to cradle her as she glared at me.

"Asuka, I'm sorry, I-" she cut me off with a hard slap.

"Shut the fuck up!" Dietlinde was still crying in her arms, "You tortured him! You made him fight for his life! I always thought that you hated to kill anything, now you're smiling at it! I know what you did to get to me! I saw everything! You killed six men, and on every one you didn't care… you just wanted the money… you made them see the bullet coming… and you stabbed two men… the smile on your face is terriying… you're not the person I fell in love with, you're not Shinji! You're just a monster! You're just a killer!" I just stand there, wide eyed and about to cry at her actions, "I don't want you around my baby! Stay away from her and stay away from me! I don't trust you to be around her or me… I'm actually afraid of you!" with one hand, she rips off the ring, "Take this and stay out of our lives!" she throws it down the hall and slams the door shut.

"A-Asuka…" I whisper as I fall to my knees crying. I was still able to hear Dietlinde crying and Asuka trying to calm her.

"It's okay… he won't hurt you or me again… I promise…" again? No… I would never hurt them… did I? I brought this upon myself… I-I did this… I fall to my back crying. That pain in my chest once again makes an appearance and I find that I can't breath.

"Asuka…" I don't even try to get to the pills… I just wanted to die. She was afraid of me… I didn't want to endure this nightmare anymore. I had nothing else to live for; Asuka didn't love me, Dietlinde has been taken away, I can't pilot, and I'm useless. I let the darkness engulf me as I sobbed.

---

NERV Hospital – The Next Day

I feel a weight on my chest… and a wet spot. Someone was there… someone was crying. Where was I? Was I dead? All I see is black, and I can't hear anything. I feel a sharp pain in my arm, and then my vision starts to come back.

"Shinji, are you awake?" it sounds like Akagi. I let out a soft whine, "Good," with nothing else said, she walks off. The weight was still on my chest, and the wet spot only grew larger.

"A-Asuka?" I look down to see brown hair… it wasn't Asuka. The person lifts up their head to show Sam's face.

"Thank God!" She lunges onto me and embraces me in a tight hug, "I was so afraid… what happened to you?" I just laid there motionless, "You were lying in the hallway… and you weren't breathing…" she cries into my shoulder. She saw me and brought me here… she saved my life…

"Why did you save me?" I have a harsh voice, "Why didn't you let me die!" she throws her head up and looks at me with tears in her eyes, "I wanted to die! Why didn't you just leave me there?"

"What are you talking about?" she had tears running down her face, "You… wanted to die?" I push away from her, making her stand up and look down on me.

"Yes! I wanted to die!" she just stood there with a confused look, "I don't have anything to live for! I just want to end it all…" she once again sits next to me.

"That's not true. You have Dietlinde, you have Asuka, and you have-" I cut her off.

"Like hell I do! Asuka hates me and I can't see Dietlinde anymore! They're both afraid of me… no one wants me around…" she just sits there. I wanted to die so badly… why won't people just let me go?

"The why did she send you flowers?" she points to the night-stand which had a toque of flowers on it. I pick up the card and read it, "I'm not a monster. I hope you live. Asuka" I once again break down in tears.

"Hey Sam, you're going to need to- ah crap…" I see Akagi walk into my room, "What happened?" She takes the card from my hands and reads it.

"I don't know! I think something happened between him and Asuka," at least someone was on track. Akagi puts down the card and hugs me, making Sam stand up once again. She leaned back and looked into my eyes.

"Shinji, what happened?" I speak over my tears.

"Asuka's afraid of me… she took Dietlinde away… she took off the ring…" I bury my face into my hands crying even harder, "She knows about the men! She knows about me killing them!" I hear Sam gasp. I bring up my head and look at her, "I killed seven men! I shot four, stabbed two, and tortured one… I'm a killer and a monster! That's the Shinji you know!" she took a step back.

"Y-You… killed… I don't believe you! You would never do that!" the old me wouldn't have. Ritsuko guides Sam out of the room and goes back to me. I was glad to see her leave; I didn't want to see anybody right now, including Akagi.

"How does she know?" I try to hold back as many tears as possible, but a few still get past.

"I-I don't know… Karsten probably told her… what can I do? I can't lose her… I just can't…" there was nothing that could be done… she was out of my life. There was nothing I could do.

"Do you want me to talk to her?" there was no point to it.

"No… I want to…" I struggle out of bed and start to walk to her room.

"Shinji, you can't risk another heart attack! Watch your stress level!" like I said, I wanted to die. On the way there, I find the thrown engagement ring. I pick it up and slip it in my pocket in hopes of a future with her. When I made it to her door, I wipe off the remaining tears and try to look calm. With all my courage, I knock on the door; "Asuka?" the door slowly opens to show her standing there with a revolver aimed at my head.

"Get out of here… now…" I just stood there wide eyed, "You think I won't do it?" she cocks it, "Try me… now leave," I slowly back up.

"Asuka… please listen to me…" I see a tear slowly form in her eye.

"No… not again, I will never listen to you again… nothing will ever change that…" she laughs a little, "I actually believed you. I really believed that we would be together for the rest of our lives, but you apparently had other plans. You told me over and over that you loved me, and I felt the same way. I still love you… I love the old Shinji… not this thing standing in front of me." I start to walk to her.

"Asuka… at least let me see Dietlinde," a loud bang echoes through the halls.

"That was a warning…" a bullet hole is on the wall behind me, only inches apart from my head, "Now leave…" the tear runs down her face.

"You want to shoot me? Go ahead. I WANT to die; I have nothing to live for." I grab the gun barrel and put it on my forehead, "Do it!" she just stood there wide eyed, "Shoot me!" she didn't make a move, "If I'm this creature you speak of, then why can't you do it? Why can't you simply pull the trigger?" I wanted her to kill me so badly.

"I…" she tightens her grip on the gun's handle, "don't… know…" I tear the gun from her hands.

"Fine! If you won't then I will!" I trust it under my chin.

"Stop!" she finally speaks up. I was so close… I was so close to death… just a little pressure will end it all… "Just stop it…" she falls to her knees, "don't do it… I know Shinji is still there somewhere… I don't want to lose him…" I drop the gun and lean down in front of her face, forcing her to look at me.

"What do you see?" her teary eyes stared into mine, "What do you see right now?" she continued to stare at me.

"I don't know… something… but not Shinji. I don't see Shinji!" I give her a warm smile.

"Do you want to know what I see when I look in the mirror?" her eyes are wide at my smile, "I see you. I see you when I look at myself. You know why?" she shook her head very slightly, "Because you're a part of me. You always will be. When you were away, all I could think of was you. I actually had a heart attack from missing you so much, I could have died from not being with you. It was because of you that I did what I did, and while I know that it was unforgivable, I will gladly go to hell just to see your face. Now, tell me again what you see," she still sat there wide eyed.

"You're eyes… are warm… you're eyes are Shinji's… those loving, caring eyes… are back…" she continued to stare at me as she put a hand gently on my face, "is Shinji back…?" even I didn't know that.

"You tell me. Am I back?" she takes her hand off my face.

"Y-Yes… I pray…" I help her to her feet as I stand up. She looks up at me with tears in her eyes, "I pray…" she lunges at me and hugs me tight. She buries her head in my chest and cries freely. I put a hand on her back as she sobbed.

"Me too…" she leans back and looks up at me.

"Did you want to see Dietlinde?" finally! I get to see my daughter!

"Yeah… please…" she takes my hand and leads me inside her room. She takes me over to the side of her crib and I look inside to see her snuggled up against the bear Asuka had picked out for her. She was asleep and snoring slightly.

"Listen… I'm sorry…" she paused for a few seconds, "but… I still can't marry you… I'm just not ready for it yet…" God I pray that she meant ready for marriage.

"But… are we still…" she shook her head.

"No…" she continued to stare into the crib, "We're not… I just can't yet…" she looked up at me, "maybe later, but not now. I'm sorry Shinji…" my heart sank into my stomach. All that work, all that time spent getting close to her was wasted. All of our bonding, all the pain, all the happiness, and all the memories, wasted. Almost four years down the drain as if it never happened. I try to hold back the tears as I speak again.

"All I want is a maybe… that's all I need to keep going," it was true. As long as there was a faint glimmer of hope awaiting me, I will work towards it. I look into her eyes as she stared up at me, and she smiled slightly.

"Quit being so dramatic, you got a happy ending, enjoy it while it lasts," I did get a happy ending. I may not have gotten her back, but I did have Dietlinde, all of my memories, and the hope of being together with her someday. That was enough for me. Nothing will ever change that… that has proven to be true this whole time… through all the hate, the pain, and the troubles, we have held onto what was left of our relationship. I love you Asuka Langley Souryu, and nothing will ever change that.

A/N- Happy ending… not really. I'm not done yet. Find out what happens in the next chapter; Trouble, until then, keep on keepin' on! Also, before anyone says anything, I did get the title of this chapter from Disturbed… and I don't own them… damn disclaimers…

A/A/N- I was going to end it right here, I really was, but I had a better idea for an ending. It wasn't until I began to write the author's note until it hit me, so I didn't re-write the story. Tell me, would that have been a good ending? I think it would have, but I want your opinion. Just tell me in your reviews, thanks!


	81. Trouble

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Chapter 81: Trouble

A/N- This chapter was proof-read by Frost-Eva-00, thanks again! Okay, now that Asuka and Shinji aren't engaged anymore, what exactly will become of this story? Hell, they're not even together! Any theories?

Asuka's Room – The Next Morning

Asuka actually let me sleep in her room, sure, it was on the sofa, but it was better then nothing. I had – by far – the best night sleep that I've ever had in my life last night. I knew that, with time, I and Asuka would be back together and we would be a family again. With a yawn and a stretch, I slug up off the sofa. I go over and look down on Asuka sleeping. I sit next to her and gently run my fingers through her hair. Even after all that time in Germany, it was still soft as silk. She smiled faintly as I did this.

"Mmmm…" she softly hums in her sleep. I loved it when she talked in her sleep, it was so cute. She has always been loud, whether it is from sleeping, yelling or… yeah… that… she was always loud. Not that it mattered to me; it was just funny how deep in her personality it was. Subconsciously, she reaches up and grabs my hand. She brings it down to her chin and snuggles it with a smile. She may say she doesn't want to be together right now, but it's apparent she was just being cautious. She didn't want to get hurt again, and I don't blame her. I know that I hurt her BAD, and truthfully, I'd stay away too. "Shin… ji…" yet another thing I loved; her speaking my name in her sleep. For some reason, it would always boost my ego to hear that she was dreaming of me.

"I'm so sorry Asuka… I will never hurt you again…" I whisper under my breath to her. She continued to hold my hand near her face as I spoke to her. I could feel her warm breath on my fingers as she breathed. Slowly, I see her eyes slowly open.

"Shinji, What are you doing?" she looks down at my hand and lets go of it.

"Sorry… sleep good?" she sits up and looks at me with a smile.

"Yeah, more or less," she stretches as she spoke, "You?"

"Great, actually, Just being around you again calmed me so much," she blushed a little, "Listen… I want to apologize for everything I did… there was no excuse for it. I could have found another way to get to you, but instead I took the lazy way out. I put both you and Dietlinde in danger, and for what it's worth, I'm sorry." She stared to get out of bed.

"You know what? Just forget that this ever happened. Just don't talk about it, and you'll be forgiven," she smiles back at me as she went into the bathroom, "Now remember… no peeking." With that, she shut the door and I hear the shower turn on. Just like when we lived together at Misato's she warned me not to peek before a shower. Just like old times… I didn't like the sound of that. It made it sound like we never had anything, but there was proof of our dead relationship sleeping across the room. I go over and pick that remembrance up and cradle her.

"How did you sleep, huh?" she looks up at me with a smile, "So, how long do you think it'll take to get mommy back? Hopefully not too long, right?" she still looked up at me with a smile, "Look at me, I'm asking a baby for advise on girls… kinda funny don't ya think?" she laughs at my smile.

"You know Shinji, I can hear you!" Asuka yells from the shower.

"I know!" no I didn't, but hey, if the opportunity presents itself, take it! "You know what else?" I'm talking to Dietlinde again… kind of… "Your mom isn't too bad on the eyes. Wanna know her measurements?"

"Hey!" I laugh at her yelling from the shower, "How do you even know them!" once again, I didn't.

"Well, if you want to truth, I HAVE gotten a pretty good view of them." I hear a sigh coming from her.

"Perv…" well I did! I was holding the result in my arms right now! I can see her blushing right now, "Hey, at least mine can be measured in inches! We gotta use a precise ruler with you!" ouch… my pride… that was just plain mean! Time to get back at her… I put Dietlinde back in her crib and stand next to the bathroom door.

"That didn't seem to bother you too much! Remember what Cass said? You weren't exactly quiet about it!" I'm trying so hard not to laugh right now!

"I was just being nice about it! I didn't want to make you feel bad, so I faked it!" now that I knew was a lie! She could be a pretty good liar, but in this situation, there was no getting around it. Like I said, she was ALWAYS loud.

"Riiight, Asuka, I know you better then that and you know it!" I hear the water stop.

"Okay… maybe that was a lie…" a long pause.

"Can't think of a comeback, can ya?" she opens the door and walks into the room in a robe.

"Shut up… you started it!" she stares at me in the eye with a sarcastic, yet serious look in her eyes. We were just inches apart as we stared each other down. She had he hands on her hips and her 'don't mess with me' face on. We stayed like this for awhile, and then I spoke up.

"Who are you kidding?" she looked at me with confused eyes.

"What are you talking about? I told you I was lying," I shake my head.

"Not that… why are you tormenting me like this? I know for a fact that you still love me, and yet you can't admit it. Why?" she rolls her eyes and walks off to her closet.

"You really don't get it do you?" she walks into her small closet and starts to get changed; "I already said that I still love you, and I've made that clear. I'm not going back into this relationship any time soon because of what I saw you COULD be, not what you are. After seeing you kill all those men… it completely ruined my view of you…" she walked out of the closet with a distressed face "I will never forget how you looked when you pulled that trigger… it literally haunts me…" I see a tear form in her eye, "I hated to see you like that… you looked so heartless… I know that you aren't like that… that's why I hated it," I once again feel my heart sink.

"I'm… sorry…" I start walking out of the room.

"Oh grow up Shinji! You can't even talk about it now? You can't always run away from your problems!" I turn and look at her.

"You know… I used to see you as a problem and I didn't run, did I?" she took a step forward.

"You know damn well what I mean! You're eventually going to have to face your sins and deal with them, and you know what? You just might be alone when you finally do…" even her eyes went wide at the last part.

"Alone? Should have seen that coming," I once again start to walk out of the room, "Nice one Asuka. You just love to kick me when I'm down, don't you?" I start to open the door.

"Shinji I'm sorry… I went too far…" I turn and look at her.

"Yeah, you did," I walk over to her and look at her, only inches from her face, "I told you how I felt about what I did, I told you that I'm going to hell for it, and I told you that I can't make up for it. I have more then enough sins to carry on my back, and this just adds to it. If you had even an idea what I dreamt of when I would kill a man, you would be more then terrified. So I'm asking you, don't tell me how and when I'm going to face them. Okay?" she looks up at me with the tear still in her eye.

"Sorry… I won't say it again…" with a sigh, I take her in my arms.

"God… I really screwed up, huh?" she wraps her arms around me and embraces the hug, "You know… I wasn't insulting you about your measurements… I like em'" I give a small laugh.

"Heh… I know you do…" she pulls back and looks at me again, "And I like yours…" she smiles.

"There's the Asuka I know." Just then, a knocking at the door can be heard. Asuka goes and answers it to show Sam standing there.

"Oh, hey Sam, You need something?" she held herself in crossed arms.

"I need both of your help… do you mind coming with me? I need you to read something to me," I start to walk over to her.

A/N- What do you think happened to Sam, huh? I know that this was a filler chapter, but I had to get back to my drama writing style. Now that I'm back from the land of action, I can write about the main storyline! What did Sam have? What trouble did she speak of? Find out in the next chapter; Meet Me, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	82. Meet Me

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Chapter 82: Meet Me

A/N- This chapter was proof-read by Frost-Eva-00. Thanks for the help!

Asuka's Room

"I need both of your help… do you mind coming with me? I need you to read something to me," I start to walk over to her.

"Sure, what is it?" Asuka had that smile on her face. She loved it when someone needed her help, I think it made her feel important in a way. Not that she needed it, she was plenty important to me.

"A letter was sent to me and – as you can tell – I can't read it. It also came with a package. Do you mind helping me out?" we began to walk out of the room with her. Before I left, I picked up Dietlinde and brought her with us. I was never going to leave her alone again.

"Sure, we don't mind. Any idea where the package came from?' you know, Asuka was able to ask the stupidest questions. Of course she didn't know!

"No, I had some trouble reading the address!" I knew it! I just had that sort of intuition, I could just tell… "But seriously, some guy from NERV said that it was stuff from my parents," her parents… a touchy subject. Last time we talked about her parents, she broke down in tears.

"Your… parents? Are you sure you want our help? Last time wasn't exactly… it didn't really go well…" I swear… Asuka was NOT on the ball today.

"Yeah… about that… sorry, I overreacted. That was a one-time thing, I'm asking for your help NOW," she said that with a smile. When we finally get to her door, she opens it and shows us the pile of boxes. There was one, three by three box in the middle of the floor.

"You only got one letter?" she nods as she sits down on her bed.

"Yeah, do you mind reading this to me?" she hands Asuka a legal sized letter.

"Sure," she tears it open and begins to read, "To Samantha J. Simmons. J., what's your middle name?" I glare at her, "Sorry… To Samantha J. Simmons, I know what really happened. You don't know the truth about your parents…" she paused as she continued to read, "but… I do… meet me at the American Embassy tomorrow at four… you'll finally know the truth… look in the boxes before meeting me…" she stopped for awhile, "That's it… it's unsigned," she sat there wide eyed.

"Open the boxes… please…" she sat there with an emotionless face. I walk over to one of the boxes – after handing Dietlinde to Asuka – and rip it open to show stacks of envelopes, most of them opened and empty.

"There's just a bunch of envelopes…" I pick one of them up and read it, "Okay, Asuka, you're going to have to read this," I looked like it was in German, so I hand it over to her.

"Do I have to do everything?" she swipes it away from me, "To Mr. and Mrs. Simmons, from… what the hell is this?" her eyes went wide, "is this a joke? It says that it's from Karsten Langley…" her father? "Hold on, there's more," she pulls out a letter inside, "It looks like gibberish to me, just numbers and letters."

"I'm sorry… who's Karsten? Is he related to you? Your last name is Langley, right?" Sam finally spoke up.

"Yeah, he's my bastard father. Forget about it," she picked up another letter, "another from Karsten and the inside is the same," she flips through all of them, "These are all from my father! What the hell is going on? Sam, do you have any idea what this is?" she shakes her head.

"None… I guess all I can do is follow what the letter said… can Shinji come with? I don't want to bring two people, it'll look too weird… do you mind?" this actually sounded dangerous in a sense. A strange letter with a strange package came, telling her to meet in a stranger, "I… don't want to be alone…"

"Sam… I think you should take Asuka. I doubt I can be of much help if you get in trouble," she gives me a confused look… I never told her about my hand! She still doesn't know! "Oh! Sam, sorry, I forgot to tell you. I lost my hand about a week ago in a fight." She goes pale, "Yeah, just forget about it. Just take Asuka, if you want, I'll trail behind you guys." She was still surprised.

"You… lost…" Asuka lets out a sigh.

"Yeah, that idiot lost a hand because he had to get all macho and protect me," she smiles over at me, "but he's my idiot…" I'm hers? I wish she would make up her mind!

"Okay… I'll take Asuka… but I want Shinji close by," Asuka sighs again.

"Geez, Act like I'm not here why don't you! I can fight just as good as Shinji!" she's proven that before!

"Sorry… so, can we go tomorrow?" she seemed really… different… I couldn't place it. She didn't really seem herself, but I couldn't place the emotion. I would always tell the emotion from the eyes, and without them, I had trouble with it.

"Sure, we'll be happy to… but I have one question… is that all you know about your parents? You don't know anything else about their death, their life, anything?" she shook her head

"No, I don't. I thought that they were just bakers, there was apparently more to it," I had no idea what was going through her head, was she sad? Was she happy that she would finally know the truth? What? "Listen, you guys can go now, just meet me back here at around three." She gets up and starts to guide us out of the room, "Thanks again… really…" she closes the door when we get outside. I knew she was different; she wanted us out, now. I knew she was upset!

"Man… that must be hard on her. What do you think the big deal is?" I just shrug as we walk.

"No idea…" I take Dietlinde back from Asuka, "but all this doesn't sound right to me. Think about it, we have no idea who this guy is, why he's helping, or if this is even real or not. I'm a little nervous about meeting him," Asuka opens her door and lets us in.

"Whatever, we'll find out soon enough if this is real." She takes Dietlinde from me and puts her in her crib, "Anyway, I had a question for you. What happened back in the Eva? Your hand was glowing or something, what was it?" even I didn't know too much about it.

"You remember what Gendo said about my mother? How she was supposed to be trapped in Unit 01?" she nods.

"Yeah… but that was Unit 01… you're a good five models away!" she was being weird… no, come to think of it, she wasn't. She is acting like she did before we were dating; she's back to normal…

"That's not the point. When I passed out, I saw her. I'm still not sure if it was her or not, but after that I was able to use my hand. She said that she wanted to save me and…" I paused for awhile, trying to come up with another word.

"And, You and what?" this was basically committing suicide here…

"My… wife…" she rolls her eyes and walks over to her bed.

"You know what? I'm so sick of you dropping these hints! I was NOT your wife, I was your fiancé! Will you please just leave this alone? God! You're using your mother as a bit to try and get together with me! What the hell is wrong with you?" she's the one that asked!

"Believe what you want…" I lay down on the sofa, "even I'm not too sure what happened… I could have dreamed it…" I didn't care if it was a dream or not, I finally saw my mother again. The conversation ended there, not a word was said. After awhile, I went over and picked up Dietlinde, she was the only thing left of our relationship. Just like that one night, I laid her head on my chest and she soon fell asleep. When I finally start to doze off, I hear a faint humming. It started to get slightly louder as time went on, and it sounded like that German song we would sing to Dietlinde. I lean up past the head of the sofa and see Asuka looking over at us with a smile as she hummed, "Will I ever understand you? You know I hate mixed signals."

"I'm a girl… get used to it…" I hated this constant bickering we were having now; it was like we were thirteen again.

"I've been trying…" I walk over to her bed while I carried Dietlinde and looked her in the eye.

"You need something?" actually, I did.

"You said that my eyes changed, what do you mean?" she said that my eyes were different, that was why she started to trust me again, but I didn't understand what she meant.

"Not this again…" I give her a slight pleading look, "Fine… when I would see you hurting or even killing someone, you had… I don't even know how to describe it… it was like you weren't human; your eyes looked like an animal's. When you told me about actually caring for me, it changed somehow… I don't know, it was just weird," that's what I didn't get, how did they change? I always felt that way about her, not just at that moment. I may not have shown it, but I always did.

"If you say it happened, it did. I'm just glad that you started to trust me again," she takes Dietlinde from my arms and sets her down on her chest, "You do trust me… right?"

"Most of the time… I'm just watching out for you this time. I know you don't like to hear it, but you're not going to hurt me again, I won't let you," damn… that hurt…

"Sorry… you know that I didn't do it on purpose don't you? I would never hurt you intestinally," that is about the only thing that holds true lately.

"I hope you wouldn't… actually, I know you wouldn't. I know you well enough to say that you wouldn't hurt me or anyone that you care for on purpose." At least she knew that about me.

A/N- I… hated… this… chapter! This was – by far – the biggest piece of crap I've written: extremely OOC, awkward conversations, poorly written, and a stupid new plotline. It'll be better next chapter, I promise, it's just that I haven't written in a couple of days, so I'm a little off-beat. Sorry for that. Anyway, what will this man do? Is he for real? Find out in the next chapter; Who Are You, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	83. Who Are You?

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Chapter 83: Who Are You?

A/N- This chapter was proof-read by Frost-Eva-00, thanks for the help!

A/N/N- Sorry for that late chapter post, I really tried. To all of you people out there cussing me out in my e-mail, next time, try reading the FanFiction home page, I wasn't able to post anything. They were doing a system checkup, and therefore leaving me – and all other authors for that matter – unable to update stories. Thank you toSir Yzal for actually being the one to bring it up on the review, and thank you to all that wait patiently.

Asuka's Room – 3:15 PM

"Shinji, Hurry up already! We were supposed to meet Sam fifteen minutes ago!" as always, I woke up late and had to rush. I was just finishing up in the shower and stepping out of the tub.

"I'm trying! Just hold on!" I could hear rustling as I grabbed a towel. Just as I took it off the rack, the door swings open.

"Get dressed! Sam's going to be so pissed at us if we miss this!" she throws a pile of clothes at me and walks out. Did Asuka just walk in on me naked… and acted like it was nothing? Huh… that was… scary. She would always yell at me when she would see me like this… almost always. I get dressed as quickly as I could and walk out to see Asuka walking into her room, "I just dropped off Dietlinde with Akagi, are you ready yet?"

"Yeah, let's go." She grabs my left wrist and drags me out of her room and down the hallway. Why was she in such a rush? She's never been concerned about time before.

"You know, I can walk on my own…" she continued to drag me without a word, "I could just rip away from you. You know that right?"

"What makes you think that, huh? I'm way stronger then you!" that was true… but…

"I know, but I can do it without pain… look down…" I say that with a smile. She looks down at my hand and rips her hand away.

"I'm so sorry!" I just laugh, "What's so funny!" I had to laugh; the look on her face was hilarious!

"You jumped out of your skin!" I couldn't believe that I was joking about this; I guess that I've just grown accustomed to it, "You should have seen your face!" she literally started to fume.

"That's just wrong!" she points at my hand, "I don't want to be teased with THAT!" I don't care how 'wrong' it is, it's funny! We start to run again and I look down at my hand… it's pretty gnarled by now. A bullet entry and exit wound, a scar across my wrist, a few fingers are either broken or dislocated from carelessness, and on top of all that, it's a dark shade of grey… I think I might have it amputated. It's not like I'll miss it, hell, it would be better then having people staring at this! Asuka was right, it's actually repulsive. I'll have to ask Akagi about that later. Asuka bursts through Sam's door panting, "Sam… sorry… we're late…" we see her sitting on the sofa, patiently waiting for us.

"Don't worry about it, can we go?" Asuka's eyes went wide.

"You… mean… we didn't… have to HURRY! Are you telling me that I saw him naked, grabbed his nasty hand, and damn near had a heart attack, and we didn't have to hurry!" she acted like seeing me was new…

"You saw Shinji naked? Really?" she smiled a little, "How'd ya like it?" well… I hope she liked it!

"Shut up!" she couldn't come up with a comeback, with Cass gone, she was fresh out of material. Sam laughs a little as she gets up.

"Hey, if you don't like it, I'll be happy to take him," hello! Where did that come from?

"Like hell you will!" Asuka looks over at me as she said that and blushes under her rage.

"I'm just joking!" I hope she was! "Seriously, let's go," she guides us out of her room and walks next to me, "So… whose car are we taking?" I should have seen that coming. Sam loved to tease Asuka about her van, and it would always piss her off!

"Let's see; a van or a sports car…" she looked over at me, "Let's go with the sports car!" as long as I get to drive, I'm okay, "I'm driving!" wait… what?

"Asuka… what are you talking about? You can't drive yet, you still have to-" she cuts me off.

"Take a test? Already did! I got it about a month ago behind your back! Come on, hand over the keys!" Asuka driving my car… my 950 horse power car… seat belt please! With a shaking hand, I reach into my pocket and hand her the keys. Come to think of it, this might be easier. Driving with one hand really sucks!

"Um… o-okay…" we finally get out to the car. I sit in the middle just in case; I know how she can get, "Just remember that the gas is a little touchy."

"Yeah, yeah, I know!" to my surprise, she actually pulled out of the parking lot like a human being. Up until we hit the free-way, it was okay.

"Wow… not bad Asukaaaa!" Sam grabs onto my hand as we enter the no-speed limit area. The car roars down the street, accelerating from a nice twenty-five to ninety in a few seconds.

"Asuka, Slow down!" she had that wicked smile on as her hair blew far behind her in the wind, "For the love of God! SLOW DOWN!" she glances over at me.

"Oh come on! You expect me to drive like a grandma in this baby?" I thank my lucky stars that people steered clear of this car, "Hell no! Sam wants to get there fast, right? Well, we still got a good seventy unused miles!" she speeds up a little, "Damn! I wish I had this car!"

"Me too, Now please don't mess it up!" with a sigh, she releases the gas and lets the car slow to a steady fifty, "Thank God!"

"Wimp…" she took the exit and parked about a block away from the embassy, "Whatever, we're here anyway." Sam still clenched my hand and the armrest, staring forward, "Sam, you okay?"

"Uh… huh…" she sat there wide-eyed, and damn near sweating.

"Sam… can I get out?" slowly, she opens the door and crawls out. Painfully, I take my hand back, "Okay, Asuka will be going with you, but like you said, I'll be behind you guys. Get going, it's almost four," Asuka wraps an arm around Sam's shoulders and walks.

"Come on, why are you so scared? Loosen up!" she walked with a smile on her face, holding onto a still pale Sam. As they walked, I could see Sam start to calm down. To think that the girl with almost as much attitude as Asuka could get so scared! Like we planned, I followed a little ways back. As the embassy came into view, so did a man waiting on a bench. I was out of range from hearing anything that Asuka was saying but she was talking. When they approach the man, I leap behind a nearby corner and try to listen in.

"Are you Samantha?" a monotone voice…

"Sam, and yes, now what do you know?" she was being forward with this. I guess she would be her parents got killed for no reason. I'd like to know something about it if it were me.

"Right to the point, aren't we? Who is this young woman?" he was obviously talking about Asuka.

"That is none of your business! Tell her what you promised!" wow… both of them are serious.

"Fine, Sam, as you know… as you thought, your parents were bakers. This was true, for a short time." A long pause, then Sam spoke up.

"Okay… and? Don't tell me that's all you know!" he chuckled a little.

"No, no, I just thought that you knew what happened after that. So you really don't know anything, do you? Well, a month after they opened the bakery, they had a little visit from NERV. You are quite familiar with them, aren't you? The Fifth child, not bad," I hear a groan come from Asuka, "Sorry, anyway, a woman named Yui Ikari went into their shop simply to buy something. Just as she was leaving, a rain of bullets showered the building. All of them came out alive, and after seeing the white truck drive off, Yui grabbed the two and took them back to NERV," wait Yui, my mother?

"Whoa! Wait up! Yui, Are you serious? Why did she take them?" Asuka knew about my mother, but Sam didn't. I'm sure she picked up Ikari, but she showed no sign of it.

"Because she felt like they were in danger. She was such a sweet woman; she risked her life to save them. Yui told them that an organization was out to get her, and now that they saw what had happened, they were in danger too. The organization was called SEELE, and they wanted her because she was supposed to be the First. They believed that she wouldn't be a good enough pilot; she had too much family and therefore too much compassion, so they wanted her gone. SEELE thought she was asking for help for some reason, so now your parents were a main target," they wanted her dead? Why the hell didn't he tell me this too! So SEELE wanted her gone, now they want all of us gone… who are they?

"So… it was all her fault… Yui did this…" damn! Now Sam thought it was her fault!

"Hey! Back up! She didn't do this on purpose! If you let me finish, she tried to get them out of it. She knew that they would be hunted; so in short, she employed them as NERV agents. At first, they declined, but after they heard that they would be investigating SEELE, they wanted in. Yui begged them to find out the truth behind SEELE, because with it, she could bring them down. There was never any solid proof that they were being hunted, but it was obvious. In fact, up until recent years, there wasn't even any proof of SEELE to begin with." There was no hiding it now. Giant monsters, millions of bugs… yeah, you can't really ignore that, "Anyway, your parents job was to find out the truth about SEELE. They were given the license to kill – which they never used – full time Section 2 watch, and any resources they may need. A pretty hefty load for two people, no?"

"Slow down, so SEELE killed them?" Asuka sounded annoyed.

"Hold on, I'm still not done. They actually got into SEELE's database at one point, and finally knew the truth. After four years, they finally knew the truth. Unfortunately, they weren't at NERV, they weren't even in Japan, therefore out of the sight of Section 2. They had other matters to attend to… like their daughter's birthday… you know the story after that…" SEELE killed them right there. Cowards…

"Then what the fuck are those letters for? Who was Karsten Langley!" Sam – I could hear – was crying.

"Temper, temper. Karsten Langley was head of SEELE; I think he still is actually. Those letters were warnings to keep away. Most of them said that SEELE would leave them alone if they did, but your parents were too deep into it. Most were written in a code known only by SEELE and NERV, and few weren't threats. The last one that was sent to them wrote, 'This is your last warning. The council has promised to leave you be if you leave us be. You don't know what you're getting yourself into, this goes deeper then you can imagine. Please, just walk away and forget about this.' They obviously didn't listen." Karsten… was head of SEELE? How? I thought he was in the army!

"No way! Karsten was head of SEELE!" Asuka sounded surprised to say the least.

"Was? I told you, he still is." I couldn't help but chuckle, so did Asuka, "What are you laughing at?"

"Who's head now? He died by the hands of the Third," I hear the man gasp. I look around the corner to see him wide eyed, "What?" he lunges at Asuka and grabs her shoulders, "What the hell!"

"Where is he now? Tell me where Shinji is!" he knew my name?

"Let go of me asshole!" I see Asuka struggling under his grip.

"Tell me!" I run over and pull Asuka away from him.

"What the hell is your problem! Don't you ever touch her again!" Sam told me to stay hidden… oops… "I'm the Third! Now what is the problem?" he reaches behind him and pulls out a gun. I let go of Asuka and whip out my blade, flicking it open and jumping behind him. I put the blade under his neck and whisper in his ear. He still held the gun in the air, "Give me one reason I shouldn't slice you right now…" the gun was aimed at Asuka, and after seeing this, I put some pressure on his neck with the blade, "Drop it…" the gun falls to the floor.

"Calm down… I was giving that to you. SEELE will hunt you down too, you need protection. Stay in NERV, and stay with someone. Sleep in another person's room, do whatever you need, just don't ever be alone. When you're in NERV they can always see you, but they can't get to you. Don't you have a fiancé? Stay with her, you need her," tell me about it. I take away the knife and flick it closed.

"Sorry, bad habit." I pick up the gun and hand it to him, "I don't have a fiancé, just a friend. You can take this back, I won't need it," with a shaky hand, he takes it back. "So, killing him was a mistake, huh? Whatever, we've beaten SEELE before," he shakes his head.

"True, but they won't use Evas. Old fashioned guns will do just fine, like with Sam's parents. They only use Evas now so that they can take Asuka. Where is she by the way?" this guy knew all about us, but he didn't know what we looked like?

"Right here!" his eyes went wide.

"Y-You're Asuka?" his eyes skimmed over her body, "No… it can't be… I thought you were pregnant…" she would be on her ninth month right now, "By… him…" he looks at me.

"I thought you knew about us? Asuka gave birth two months ago, and yes, I'm the father. Before you ask, she was my fiancée, but not anymore. Now back to SEELE, do you have any idea when or even if they are going to kill me?" he shakes his head.

"No, I don't. I do know that they will try to kill you. You killed their leader, so they of course would want revenge," should've seen that coming, "Just do as I said, and you'll be fine," with that, he begins to walk off.

"Where do you think you're going!" he waves a hand in the air.

"SEELE is hunting me too, I have to keep moving. See ya!" he actually had some emotion in the last part. He turns a corner and leaves our plain of view.

"So SEELE killed them…" Sam – who still had tears on her cheeks – spoke up, "Well… looks like I'll have to finish what they started."

"Sam, don't even think about it! We can't have you in danger too!" I had to keep her out of trouble. If they got Asuka, Sam and me, there would be no way for Gahiji to fight alone. Plus, none of us wanted her dead.

"Drop it… let's go," she starts to walk back to the car. We follow what she said, the look on her face was actually scary, and neither of us wanted to mess with it, "Asuka, you drive," she was asking her to drive!

"Um… o-okay…" we climb into the car and Asuka drives off… and actually acts human.

A/N- A new realization, huh? How'd you like the discovery? I know that it was a little corny, but there will be A LOT more to this. See what happens in the next chapter; Bet Me, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	84. Bet Me!

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Chapter 84: Bet Me!

A/N- This chapter was proof-read by Frost-Eva-00, thanks for the help!

A/A/N- This is now my favorite chapter! I can't really say much, but what I can say is that it is – in my opinion – the best chapter I've ever written, whether it be in this fic or my other one. Thanks to supersniper, Asuka Langley Souryu, Rockgirlie05, and slipknot66-6 for some of the inspiration.

Asuka's Room – That Night

"Awww… you're tired, huh? Here," Asuka set Dietlinde back in her crib, where she fell asleep almost instantly. We came home late due to Asuka not using a turn-signal… that was stupid… it was nine at night and WAY past the normal bed-time for Dietlinde.

"I'm tired too…" she turns and looks at me.

"So? Go to bed," I smile back at her.

"Can you put me to bed?" she throws one of Dietlinde's bottles at me as she sarcastically smiles, "Couldn't hurt to ask, right?"

"Actually, it could." She walks over to the bathroom, "Hey, I was thinking," the shower turns on, "we haven't gotten any time alone in awhile. You wanna do something?" no… way… the only thought that crossed my mind was 'Don't screw this up!'

"Sure!" damnit… "I-I mean, sure, if you want to. What, do you just want to see movie or something?" real smooth…

"Yeah I guess. Not outside though, what that guy said creeped me out. Let's just rent one," truthfully, I didn't want to be out there either, "I know! Gahiji has a game system, right? We could get a game too! I bet you I could stomp you in any game!" just like her. Might as well play along

"You're on! What will you be betting, Miss Souryu?" a long pause.

"How about a kiss? If you win, you get a real kiss from me, and I will be serious about it. But if I win you have to be my personal slave for the day!" either one sounded good to me…

"Are you serious? I'll take that bet!" she laughs a little.

"I knew you would… we'll get all the stuff tomorrow. You pick the movie, and I'll pick the game. We'll also grab some snacks. This actually sounds fun!" it did, actually; just some time alone with Asuka, no emotional bonds – as of now – no stress, just some relaxation time with her. I like that.

"Yeah, it does." I just realized something… how the hell was I going to hold the controller? "Asuka… can we just use DDR pads?" now that, I knew would be a challenge for both of us!

"Why? We spent a month doing that, aren't you bored with- oh shit… sorry… yeah…" I could just see her blushing up a storm right now!

"Now THAT will be a challenge!" she laughs a little. It was true; we both knew our way around the DDR pad.

"Yeah…" she still sounded upset, so I changed the subject.

"How will we get Gahiji's system?" he was addicted to that thing, it wouldn't be easy…

"Just leave that to me," she turns off the shower and walks out of the bathroom only wearing a towel, "I have my ways…" she puts a hand on her hip and the other on her head, showing off her body. Maybe this would be easy…

"You sure know how to get what you want, don't you?" I knew that to be true first hand, "Just don't give him a heart attack, okay?" she laughs into the air.

"I could if I wanted to, huh? Actually, let me go get it right now," she starts to walk out of the room.

"Asuka, you're going like that! Don't you think that's a little much?" it was more of a personal issue. Only I've seen that much – and more – and I wanted it to be left that way.

"Well yeah! Have you seen him with that thing? I'll need all I can get!" with that, she shut the door. Within a few minutes, she walked back in holding the system, "Too easy. He took one look at me and practically handed it over. I thought I was going to have to at least seduce him a little. Typical thirteen year old!" she handed me the console and went to go get dressed.

"Not bad, I have to admiiiiIIIT!" she started to get dressed in front of me! She turned around and saw me staring.

"Turn around!" she throws a shoe at me and I whip around.

"Sorry!" it was her fault! She's the one that started to de-robe in front of me! I guess that it was all about habit. Up until the past few days, we were just fine with nudity in front of each other.

"Damn… you can look now… form now on, just turn around when I get to my closet, okay?" I turn around and see her in a loose fitting shirt that went down to her knees.

"Okay… sorry…" she goes over and lies down in her bed while I plop onto the sofa. Nothing more was said, she just flipped off the light and goes to sleep. She left me awake and thinking about tomorrow. I was excited out of my mind about it; this was my chance to finally get back together with her… I had to win that bet. It wasn't even about the bet, but it would help… plus, I haven't kissed her in awhile…

---

Next Morning – 8:00 AM

For once, I woke up before Asuka. I took the time to get into the shower it was – after all – what always made me late. I let the warm water wash away any thoughts I may have had, I just relaxed. I heard nothing but the water beating against the tile. I didn't even wash; I just stood there for a good ten minutes. I look down at the shower curtain and rip it open. I turn off the water and get dressed, then walk into the room to see a fully dressed Asuka.

"Oh, you're up," she looks over at me with a smile. Not just a normal smile though, it was one that actually made me warm, it made me calmer just to see her like that. Her eyes had a different shimmer in them… what was this? "What's got you in a good mood?"

"Nothing…" she said in a singing voice. She starts to walk over to the door, "You comin'?" to my dismay; she grabs my keys off the table.

"Y-Yeah…" she turns and looks at me with a wicked smile.

"What, you afraid of my driving? Fine, you drive," she tosses the keys at me. Yes!

"Okay, thanks," actually, I was afraid of her driving. Gendo probably knew what would happen if she got a sports car, so he gave her a van… that man might just have had some wisdom. We walk out to the car together and climb in, and then I remember something… "Crap! We left Dietlinde!" she laughed a little.

"I was waiting for you to say that! Akagi has her. You should have seen your face!" I roll my eyes and start the car, "Oh come on! Have a sense of humor!" I found nothing funny about that.

"Okay… how about this…" time for payback, "When you went to go see Gahiji, more was showing then you thought!" that was a lie, but she took it seriously.

"Are you serious? Crap! No wonder it was so easy!" I just laugh, "Asshole…" she had it coming!

"Sorry… but it was pretty funny…" I drive off, "Anyway, do you know of any good places to rent movies? I only know of a few," she shook her head.

"Nope, just go to the one that you know about," that's the thing, I didn't know too much about any of them. I basically just flipped a coin in my head and went to one of them. Unfortunately, it was the oldest one in the city. I didn't tell her that though…

"Okay, we're here," we get out of the car and walk inside. We both let out a small cough as we enter the smoke filled room, "Damn… what the hell?" It was fire smoke… more like…

"Hey man! Welcome to the party! Oh… it's only a couple of kids… grab somthin' and get out!" friggen junkie. He had a joint in hand with two other guys hitting off the same one.

"Talk about friendly service…" Asuka muttered something as we went into the movie aisle. "Okay, remember, you pick the movie and I pick the game," with a wave, she walked off. As I look at the selection, I see that every single one of them is at least ten years old: Flight Plan, Red Eye, Red Water, Doom, nothing that looks like either of us would like… then fate smiled down on me. I pick up one movie that Toji was talking about awhile back… this'll do fine…

A/N- I don't own nothing…

"Hey Asuka, you got the game yet?" she walks out of the games with two DDR pads in hand, "I'll take that as a yes," I grab one of them from her.

"What do you have there?" I hide the movie from her.

"It's a surprise… just wait…" she smirks in my direction… I hated that.

"What is it, huh?" she tried to look around me to see it, but I slip it under my shirt, "Fine… I'll know soon enough…" we go up to the counter to pay, and all three of them were laughing.

"Oh…oh! Okay, that'll be… what does the price tag say?" man, this guy was higher than a plane.

"Uh… we already paid…" I look over at Asuka smiling. She was about to get us a free movie and game! "Yeah, we paid awhile ago…" he looks at her confused, "Oh my God! Is that your van burning outside!" the guy leaps up.

"No! I told him not to smoke in it! One hundred kilos, man!" he runs outside, and so do we.

"You sneaky liar…" I drive off fairly quickly. The guy was still hovering around his van when I did! "You just lied to get about ten dollars, you know that, right?" she smiles back at me.

"You were going to pay, not me. I just helped you! Be grateful Thir…" she stopped. I knew what she was about to say… out relationship really had died… "S-Stop by a gas station… we need some food for today…" she stared out the window as I did, "I'll be right back," she gets out of the car and walks in alone. A few minutes later she walks back out with a bag full of junk food.

"Did you get what you wanted?" she plants a fake smile on.

"Yeah…" okay, before this ruined the day, I had to fix it.

"Look, forget about it. I really don't care. Don't let this ruin the day," she looked back up at me with a real smile this time, "There ya go. I'm used to it, hell; it WAS my name for a good year." She actually chuckled!

"You know, I'm going to whop you on the game…" there was my Asuka!

"We'll see…"

---

Asuka's Room – 7:30 PM

"Asuka… I can't… keep this up…" we put in the game right after we came home, and it had been a perfect tie the whole time. We ended up just putting it on freestyle mode so we didn't have to stop. The scores raised in perfect sync. By now, we were both drenched in sweat.

"What… are you… afraid to… beat me?" after the first hour, we just decided to set a rule; the first one to mess up loses, "Just… try it…" while still keeping up pace, she reached down and presses a button on both of our pads.

"Difficulty: Insane" popped up on the screen.

"You're kidding me!" I yell as twenty moves popped up on the screen. I could barely keep up! She was struggling too.

"Okay… maybe that was a mistake…" do ya think! We wouldn't last much longer, at least, I wouldn't. A few minutes and two thousand moves later, I'm done. One came up where you had to hit four of the pads at once, and I was out.

"Okay! You win! Just… let me rest…" I lie on my back and look over at her doing the same. We were both breathing hard as ever, and we just stayed like that for five minutes, then she gets up.

"I'm going to take a shower… you need it too…" she closes the door and I hear the shower start. I slug up and sit down on the sofa… and realize that it wasn't facing the TV… crap… I force myself up and painfully push the sofa over to the TV. I really wish I would have done that earlier. Just then, Asuka walks out with a towel on, "Okay, you're up. I can smell you from over here!" I look up at her smiling. With dragging feet a get into the shower… no hot water…

"Ah crap!" great, now I had to wash in this! I quickly get clean and jump out of the shower. After getting dressed I walk out to see Asuka picking up the movie and reading the front…

"H-Hostel…?" her eyes went wide.

"What? You don't like horror?" She looked up at me and regained her composure.

"O-Of course I do!" a long pause, "You put it in…" with a smile, I take the movie from her and put it in. I really did think that she liked horror, she just seems like she would. She sat down behind me as I got it ready… on purpose; I turn the volume WAY up. When I press play, a picture of a guy with a chainsaw pops up. She nearly jumped out of her skin! I walk over to the lights and turn them off… can't watch a movie with lights on, can you? I sit down on her left as she stared at the screen.

"It's only a movie…" she just sat there wide eyed. Not much happened in the movie, just people getting tortured. There was a part when a drill went down through a guy's jaw that made Asuka literally scream! She latched onto my right arm and held on tight as if her life depended on it.

"Please… don't do this…" A guy strapped to a chair was begging for his life as the door closed, leaving him in a pitch black room. Then the sound of a drill roars to life and he screams. She squeezes my arm harder as she stares at the screen.

"You took on angels and sins, yet you're scared of this?" actually, I was scared too, but I didn't show it.

"This is different!" a picture of a guys hand being crushed is shown, "Holy shit!" bones crack and she hides her face in my shoulder. Now she just listened to the movie. Soon, the credits began to roll.

"You can look now, it's over," she raises her head and looks at the credits.

"Thank God…" she still held onto my arm tightly. She looked down at my arm and slowly took hers away; "Sorry…" she said as she blushed a little.

"Don't worry about it," I get up and stretch my arms, "I'll go get Dietlinde, it's getting late." I start to walk out of the room and she follows me, "You don't have to come, I'll be right-"

"I want to…" she was scared out of her mind!

"Okay, if you want to," we walk out of the room and into Akagi's office.

"Oh, you're back. Dietlinde's already asleep, so keep it quiet," she handed me my child, "Asuka? Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost," we start to walk out of the room.

"Shut up!" she was the last person I would think that would be afraid of a movie. We walk back to her room and set Dietlinde in her crib. She never woke up the whole time, "Now… for our bet… you're my slave for the rest of the night!" crap… I forgot about that.

"Um… okay…" she put her smile back on, "What do I do?" might as well get this over with.

"My neck is stiff… rub my shoulders," sounded easy enough. She lay down on her bed face down. It's not like I haven't done this before, this wasn't actually bad. I begin to follow her order as she closed her eyes, "Not bad…" that was all that was said for while, the she sits up, "Okay, that's good for now…" I look over at the clock… it was already eleven! Were we like that for that long? No way!

"It's getting late… we should go to bed," with a smile, she lays back down.

"Fine… you got off easy," I walk over and turn the light back off, "Good night…" I lay back down on the sofa and just as I was about to fall asleep, she begins to talk to me, "You're still under the bet, right?" a long pause, "Come here," I slug out of the sofa and walk to her bedside.

"Yeah?" only a small amount of light came through the window and shone onto her head. She looked up at me with almost begging eyes.

"Sleep in my bed… please? That damn movie creeped me out…" score!

"Uh… are you sure?" she nods and invites me in. I climb in and lay down facing her.

"Thanks…" she whispers with a smile. She just stayed there staring into my eyes for a few minutes. At this point, there was no way I was getting to sleep.

"Have I ever told you that I love your eyes?" she smiles a little, "Seriously, they're just so full of emotion. Not many people have that as strong as you do."

"You're still my slave for the night… right?" that was random. I knew she was about to ask me for something else, probably another back rub… but I wouldn't mind that at all.

"Yeah, I guess. Why? You need something?" she smiles wide.

"Yeah…" she puts an arm around me, "actually I do," another long, awkward pause, "kiss me…" was she serious? Did she really want me to kiss her? She leans in and pulls me close with her arm. Our faces were only about an inch apart, "kiss me…" she says one more time before leaning into me. Our lips met… just like before. I put and arm around her and close my eyes. I might as well enjoy this while it lasts. She pulled back and looked at me, "now… kiss me for real…" this was a dream, it had to be! She once again leaned in and kissed me, only this time, she opened her mouth. This was a dream… and I hope I never wake up. We lay next to each other kissing like this for a good ten minutes, and I enjoyed every second of it. I haven't been this close to her in so long… too long. She pulled back on last time and looked into my eyes.

"God I missed that…" she smiles at what I said.

"Actually, so did I…" were we back together now? I doubt that she wanted to get married yet, but were we dating again? "Shinji… I want to be with you again… I don't care about being cautious with you; I know that it won't happen again… I know you won't hurt me again…" another long pause, then she raises her left hand to my face, "I want to wear that ring again…" my eyes shoot wide open.

"Are you serious!" she nods with a smile.

"Yeah… Shinji Ikari… I want to marry you…" I couldn't believe what I was hearing! I swear, if this was a joke, I would literally cry. With a shaky hand, I reach into my pocket and pull out the ring. I slide it onto her finger with a smile.

"Thank you…" that was all that came to mind, even though it was a stupid thing to say, it seemed to fit. She leaned over and whispered in my ear.

"Shinji… I want you…" to what?

"Huh?" what was she talking abo- holy crap! She had a seductive smile on as she wrapped her leg around my waist.

"You heard me… I want you… tonight…" this had to be a dream! Things were too perfect! She leaned over and whispered in my ear, "Like I said… we've been apart for too long…" she playfully nibbled at my earlobe.

"Asuka… are you serious?" she leaned back and looked at me.

"I'm far from joking right now…" she pulled me into yet another deep kiss.

A/N- Okay, at first, they were just supposed to get back together, but I decided against it. Are you happy with the relationship? Did you want them to get back together? It doesn't matter if you like it or not… because they are NOT going to split up again. I can't really come up with any teasing questions, so read the next chapter; Two Weeks, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	85. Two Weeks

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

A/N- This chapter was proof-read by Frost-Eva-**04**, not Frost-Eva-00. I've been screwing up on the name, so all of my chapters have been proof-read by Frost-Eva-04. Sorry about that man!

A/A/N- You all asked for some peace? You all asked for some resolution? Here ya go! Just read and see what I mean. I think you'll all like this chapter.

Chapter 85: Two Weeks

Asuka's Room – Morning

I woke up early… really early. It was five in the morning when I finally came to. I look down to see Asuka sleeping on my chest with a leg swung around me… just like last time. Last night was amazing in my eyes. It wasn't like last time, there wasn't that awkward feeling of having no idea what you're doing, we both knew exactly how to react. Another good side was that she actually let me pull out, I take it she didn't want another child. I didn't have to worry about her getting pregnant again, all I had was a good memory. In one night, we went from friends, to making out, to finally dating, to being engaged again, and then actually having sex. Yeah, I'd say it was an awesome night.

I laid there staring at the ceiling for an hour until Asuka woke up on her own.

"Mmmm…" she looked up at me with half closed eyes, then smiles, "hey… sleep good?" she always made a funny comment after waking up after the act.

"Yeah… you?" she nods as she gets up out of the bed. She stretches her arms in the air and grabs a shirt. It was the one from last night that went down to her mid-thigh.

"I really didn't sleep much…" no surprise there. She slips the shirt on and throws my wadded up shirt at me, "Here, I don't want Dietlinde to see you," crap! I forgot about her! We actually did it with her in the room! I put on the shirt and get up out of bed, "Grab some pants, your shirt isn't exactly… long…" with a chuckle I follow what she said. A few seconds later, I hear a knocking at the door. Asuka walks over and peeks outside, then swings the door open, "Hey Sam, you need something?" at first, I freaked out that Asuka was dressed like that, but hey, who's gonna see?

"Two things; one, I'm happy that you two are together again, but please keep it down. I could hear you from down the hall! And two, please tell me Shinji used a condom this time!" she had a wide smile on.

"Shut up!" Sam grabbed Asuka's left hand and felt the ring.

"I knew it! You two are getting married!" Sam hugged Asuka tight, "It's about time you got back together!" Asuka pulled away from Sam.

"Yeah, yeah…" she whispered something in Sam's ear and Sam smiled widely, "See?" she giggled a little.

"Okay, I just came over to congratulate you two. See ya…" she started to walk down the hall, "By the way, Shinji, nice one! No wonder she's loud!" with an annoyed moan, she shuts the door.

"What did you tell her?" she smiled just as wide as Sam did.

"Nothin'…" she walks over to Dietlinde's crib, "Just a number…" there are so many ways to interpret that, I just ignored it.

"Forget it, I don't even want to know!" she picks up Dietlinde and walks over to her closet. While holding Dietlinde with one hand, she pulls out a high-chair, "Where'd you get that?" she puts Dietlinde in it.

"Ritsuko gave it to us. Dietlinde needs to eat, you know," she pulled out a can of baby food and began to spoon feed her. When Dietlinde learn to eat without force? Probably yet another thing I missed, "You're hungry, huh?" Asuka gave her a sweet smile.

"Did you teach her to spoon feed?" I guess Akagi could have done it.

"Yeah, it didn't take too long… she's a fast learner, just like her mother!" Dietlinde giggled at her. When she was done, Asuka put her back in her crib and walked over to me, "Okay, I'm not going to beat around the bush here. I want to start planning our wedding right now. You still have Gendo's money, right?" already? I guess I wouldn't mind getting it out of the way…

"Y-Yeah… I do, but-" she cut me off.

"Good. I don't want to wait with this, I want it to be soon," she sure was taking control here. When she said 'soon' I thought she meant in a few months… nope… "Soon, as in within the month."

"What, how can we get it done so fast!" she finally smiles back at me.

"You know that I don't want a big wedding, so it won't take long. Come on Shinji, I want this," she put on her begging eyes… and now I was putty in her hands. She knew damn well that I can't resist those eyes!

"If you want to… where you want it to be?" she waved a finger in the air.

"Hold on, we have to go tell Ritsuko. I'm sure she could help," she will be overjoyed to see us together again.

"Okay… but before we go, put on some pants…" she rolled her eyes and grabbed a pair of shorts and slipped them on, "Now we can go!" she gave me her sarcastic smile and took my hand as we walked. We both knocked on Akagi's door in unison.

"Come in!" we walk in, still holding hands, "Oh, hey Shinji… and Asuka… holding hands…" she looked down at her left hand, "Oh my God!" she leaps up out of her seat and hugs both of us, "You're back together! I knew that you would!" she leans back and looks at us.

"Um… yeah… we needed your help with something," Asuka was way too excited about this to wait on it.

"Anything! What do you need?" Asuka smiled and told Akagi what she wanted.

"We want the wedding to be within the month. We just can't wait any longer… can you help us with the planning?" Akagi's eyes went wide.

"So soon?" we both nod with a smile, "Okay, if you want to. Just tell me what you want and I'll arrange everything," she leads us over to her desk and takes out a pad of paper, "First off, where do you want it to be?" that was an easy question.

"At the same spot where I first told her how I felt, at the beach." She looked at me weird. We never told her how this all happened, I just realized that, "Oh, well… we went to the beach one day and… yeah… basically I freaked her out…" Asuka laughed.

"Well yeah! I mean damn, we were talking about my looks and he just came out and said 'I love you' wouldn't you be freaked out? Anyway, we want it there. I'll show you where it was." She just stared at us wide eyed.

"I swear… you two have the weirdest relationship… okay, how many people you want to come?" it's not like we know too many people.

"Well, let's see; Sam," she held up a hand counting off the people as she named them, "you, Gahiji, Toji, Kensuke – even though he's an asshole, and anyone else that you can think of," like I said, not too many people.

"I know a few of the NEVR employees that would want to come, but that's still only ten people… kinda small, don't you think?" we both shrug. Neither of us wanted a big wedding, so it didn't matter.

"We want a small wedding. Now, the invitations are simple, so we can take care of those, we'll need a priest, food, and of course a wedding cake!" Asuka… always taking control.

"Okay, now about your dress," Asuka's face lit up at that. This… wasn't going to be good.

"I thought you'd never ask! I already have on picked out!" she pulls out a magazine from her back pocket… how did she know… she's had this planned! She knew that this was going to happen! She opens it to a page that had a single dress on it, "Right there!" it was actually duller then I thought it would be. Two spaghetti straps held it up that went down to a v-cut neck. The rest was just a normal dress that went down to her ankles. A fancy pattern decorated the breasts and went down to the stomach.

"You really do want a casual wedding, huh? Okay, I'll pick that one up. Now for Shinji… you have two choices here… you could just go with a tux… I have to tell you something…" a tux or the NERV commander uniform, I know.

"I know, I'm the commander of NERV, so I could wear the NERV getup, right?" her eyes went wide yet again.

"How… how did you know? Who told you?" I wave a hand in the air.

"Forget about it. I think I'll wear the commander's uniform, I always liked how it looked!" plus, I want to show off my top ranking! I outrank everyone in Japan!

"O-Okay… I'll talk with you about that later. Anyway, I think we have everything. Just give me the check and I'll buy everything," luckily, I actually remembered to bring it. I hand the check over to her and get up with Asuka, "Okay, I'll try to get the wedding to be in two weeks, but no promises," man… this was happening way too fast. Well, no, not TOO fast, I was just fine with it, it was just so sudden.

"Thanks, really. You always help us whenever we need it… thanks…" Asuka was actually blushing as she said that!

"Awww, don't worry about it! I'll do anything for my favorite couple!" with a wave, we left.

"Damn… two weeks… two weeks and we'll be married… I can't wait…" Asuka stopped in her tracks, "You okay?" she had a wide smile on and her 'I have an idea' eyes on, "Uh… Asuka?"

"What about our honeymoon?"

---

Asuka's Room – That Night

We've been simply lying in bed staring at the ceiling all day. Both of us are amazed at this. Sure, we knew that it was going to happen eventually, but damn, this is just crazy. I can't get my heart to stop pounding; thoughts of that day keep on flashing in my head. Her in that beautiful wedding dress, the eyes of everyone when we finally say 'I do' and actually being together forever… I just can't wait.

"So… you sure that you don't want a honeymoon?" Asuka didn't want one, but she still hasn't told me why.

"Yeah… I just won't be able to relax knowing about SEELE. It doesn't matter, we'll have plenty of fun right here!" she chuckled and swung an arm around my chest. We've already broken the tradition of waiting until the honeymoon to have sex, but whatever.

"Yeah, I guess. I'll order for a special dinner, we can have a romantic candle-lit dinner, then…" she chuckled, "yeah… that…" I really couldn't wait for this. I just kept on thinking of that day.

"Hey, who's gonna be your best man?" like I had much of a choice.

"Well, it WAS going to be Cass… but now I'm thinking Toji. What about you? Who's going to be the bride's maid?" It would have been Hikari, but now probably Sam.

"Ritsuko," I knew it… wait… "Neither of us have much of a choice in the matter, huh? The bride's maid is supposed to help me with the dress, right? Well Sam might have some trouble with that. I would have picked her anyway, she's done so much, and we owe her." that was true. We basically owe her our relationship, so this was the least we could do.

"I'll be right back..." I start to get up. I needed to talk to Akagi about something, "Just stay here."

"Hold on! Where are you going?" I walk out of her room and begin to close the door.

"I need to talk with Akagi alone," with that, I shut the door. I had to do something about this hand before the wedding; I didn't want this with me when I walk down the aisle. Once again, I knock on Akagi's door.

"Come in!" always the same greeting. I walk up and sit down at her desk, "Oh, you're back. Did you need something?"

"Yeah, I want to do something about this hand. I can't have everyone looking at it when we're getting married. Any ideas?" amputation would work just fine. It's not like it would hurt… just get a blade and cut it off!

"Wow… that was… unexpected. Well, we could amputate it," I knew it, "or we could just slap a glove on it. You know, straighten out the fingers to make it look normal before the wedding and just put a glove on it." Great! Now I'm going to look like MJ.

"Yeah, I guess that's better then a stump, huh?" she chuckles.

"Yeah... Also, Sam just stopped by, she told me about last night… nice one," why does everyone keep on saying that!

"Nice one what? What did I do?" what DIDN'T I do, that's the real question!

"Oh come on, like you don't know! Four times Shinji! Do you have any idea how tired she must have been?" but we only did it once… wait… did Asuka… she actually told Sam that!

A/N- A little joke at the end never hurt anyone, right? If you don't get it, get out. Well, you can guess what the next chapter will be about, huh? I don't really have to say much here, just read the next chapter; New Level, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	86. New Level

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Chapter 86: New Level

A/N- This chapter was proof-read by Frost-Eva-04

A/A/N- 300 REVIEWS! YES! Finally broke the three hundred marker! Thanks to all of my readers!

A/A/A/N- Do I hear wedding bells?

Asuka's Room – Two Weeks Later – 5:00 a.m.

"Got any aces?" neither of us was able to sleep last night… so we were playing cards. What? We were bored! We had to leave in about an hour, and then the next time we would see each other would be under the alter, saying our vows. These last two weeks flew by, nothing really happened. The only excitement was sending out the invitations… yeah, lots of fun.

"We should get going, I want to get there early!" she gave me a dirty look.

"Just 'cause you were about to lose…" actually, I was, but that's not why I wanted to go.

"Yeah well, you know me!" with a sarcastic smile, she hands me the cards and I put them in the deck, "Asuka… we're about to get married…" she got up off the floor and met me at eye level.

"Really? I musta missed the memo! Geez, of course we are!" she put a hand on my shoulder, "You know what else?" she whispered in my ear, "Our honeymoon is tonight…" take a wild guess what that meant.

"I know…" we began to walk out of the room hand in hand. Ritsuko was taking us to the beach in her car, she insisted on it. Once again, we knock on her door in unison. The door swings open to show her with a smile ear-to-ear.

"There's my babies! You ready to go?" Wait babies? Did she just call us her babies?

"Yeah," just as I said that, she took our hands and drug us to her car, "Slow down! It's not for another hour!" she looked in the back seat with a smile.

"Like it matters! All the longer for you to get ready!" she speeds off to the beach. She drove faster then Asuka! I guess she was excited about this… "Hold on!" Asuka clenched my hand as she took a wide turn and sent her barreling into me, ending with her draped across my lap.

"Ritsuko! Slow down!" she looked back at me through the rear-view and winked. I help Asuka back up and she instantly puts her seat belt on.

"Okay! Now I see why you guys freak out!" Asuka clenched onto the arm rest and my hand hard. Who would have thought that Akagi would drive like this? She came to a screeching halt and dragged us out to the decorated beach. A few guys were still putting up decorations, putting the final touches on it. I didn't get too good of a view because Akagi took me to a separate tent and threw me inside.

"Okay, you can't see Asuka until you are ready to get married, so stay in here! You're suit is over there," with that, she took Asuka to her tent.

"Man, she's hyper today," I start to walk over to the suit.

"Tell me about it…" I nearly jump out of my skin as I turn and see Toji standing there, "Why wouldn't she be?" he actually looked… decent. For once he dressed up in a tux. He had his arms crossed as he leaned up against a pole.

"Don't do that!" he laughs his normal sarcastic laugh.

"So… you two are finally getting married. You know, I remember when you two hated each other. The three of us would always call her a demon, remember? Kensuke still thinks that, but he's a moron. You're one lucky guy Shinji," like I didn't know that.

"I know…" I pick up the uniform and look over it. It was all dark green with a gold trim that went from around the collar and down where a flap of fabric covered the buttons. A light green triangle stone decorated where the two sides of the collar met, making a perfect circle that would go around my neck. The long sleeves were met with gold trim around the wrist. The pants were the same color as the jacket, only with gold trim going down the sides of the leg. It all finished off with shiny black shoes

"So, why are you wearing that? Why not a tux?" he didn't know about my new position.

"Well… Gendo died so… I'm commander now…" he leaped over to me and met me with wide eyes.

"Are you serious! You're commander? Of NERV? No way!" maybe telling him was a mistake…

"Yeah… just forget about it… I'm going to get changed," I walk into the closet and walk out a few minutes later wearing the suit… I kinda liked it. It made me feel powerful, like I was actually in control for once.

"Now presenting, Commander Ikari! Soon to be married to Asuka Langley Souryu… or should I say Asuka Langley Ikari?" holy crap… hearing that name hit me like a train.

"No, you're not stressing me out, not at all." He smiles as he walks up to me.

"Not bad, I must admit. You look real professional," he picks a piece of lint off my shoulder. "Oh, I almost forgot, I took a look at the guest list… why didn't you guys invite Hikari?" what the hell was he talking about?

"Huh? I… don't get what you're asking…" he had a serious look on his face.

"Come on! You know, Hikari! About ye high, brown eyes, brown hair," was he joking?

"Toji… that's seriously not funny," he gives me another weird look, "You know damn well she's dead! Don't joke about that!" he steps back, "Don't act like you don't know!" he does know… right?

"What? Wait… Hikari's dead…" he literally falls back, "Please… tell me you're joking…" he was pale and had wide eyes. Akagi told me she sent someone to tell him about it, why didn't they? "I thought… she was in America…" I see tears start to form in his eyes, "why did they lie to me?"

"Toji… I'm sorry…" he buries his face in his hands and sobs.

"Don't tell me she's dead! Please… tell me you're lying!" I knew that they liked each other, but damn. They've been dating on and off for three years now, and I know that he liked her… apparently more then I thought, "I was going to ask her… I was going to ask her to marry me!" he was? Ah crap… I lean down next to him and put a hand on his shoulder, "Don't touch me!" he pushes me away and runs off. I really should have seen that coming. Wedding checklist, minus one best man; just great! You know, I really should be more upset about this, but I was worried enough. I sit down on a fold-up chair and élan back my head.

"Damnit…" I reach over and take out the wedding ring from my jeans pocket, "At least I have this," I open the box and stare at the one-and-a-half karat diamond. This thing cost quite a pretty penny. It had fourteen-karat white gold that came up with a little fancy design that met with a diamond. On the inside was engraved 'Nothing Will Ever Change That'. All together, this cost me 500000 Yen, and basically emptied my bank account. It was more then worth it though, as long as she likes it. I sit there for ten minutes as I listen to people arrive and take their seat, I also heard Kensuke getting hit for walking in on Asuka.

"Hey Shinji…" I look over and see Ritsuko in a white dress, "How do you feel?" like shit.

"Fine… Toji ran off… for some reason the people told him Hikari was on vacation… so he freaked when I told him. So no best man... Beside that, great!" with a sigh she walks over to me.

"We don't need one… are you ready? We can start early, everyone is here," my heart sank into my stomach, "You should see Asuka, she's beautiful. Are you ready for this?" I stand up and straighten up my jacket.

"As ready as I'll ever be… is it normal to feel like vomiting right now?" she laughs and puts an arm around my shoulders.

"Yeah, that'll go away eventually. I'll go tell everyone that we'll start early. But first," she pulls out a glove, "Let's make you look pretty!" she took my hand and began to crack the fingers in place. It didn't hurt at all, it was just the sound of it that creeped me out, "Okay, done. Now let's just put this on," she slips the glove on, completely hiding it, "Now, I'll go start this thing!" before I could say anything, she walked out.

"Oh crap…" I seriously feel like I'm sick. I hear wedding music start to play; "Oh crap…" the tent whips open and Akagi was waving me over.

"Shinji! Get down there!" I start to walk down the aisle – alone by the way, which sucked – and feel the stare of everyone on my back. I hear a few of them question my uniform, but I just ignore it. When I get to the end and look down on the crowd. All of them had a wide smile on. I look at Sam, who was in the front row, already close to crying. She held Dietlinde in her arms and Dietlinde was staring right at me with a smile.

"You nervous?" the priest whispers in my ear.

"As hell… I don't exactly do this everyday… what do I do now?" I hear him chuckle.

"Just wait, she'll be out soon," and he was right. I see Asuka's tent start to open and her walk out of it beside Akagi.

"Oh my God…" I stare at her… she's never been so beautiful. She was amazing! The dress fit her perfectly; it was damn near a second skin. The V-cut collar showed… lets say enough cleavage. She had a slight blush as she walked down the aisle. It seemed like it took an eternity for her to reach my side, when she did though, Akagi left. I took her hand in mine as the priest began.

"We are gathered here today to join Shinji Ikari and Asuka Langley Souryu in holy matrimony." My heart is pounding as I stare at him. He turns to me and begins the routine, "Shinji Ikari, do you take Asuka Langley Souryu as your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, so long as you both shall live?" this was literally killing me!

"I do…" I didn't stutter! That was a good sign!

"Asuka Langley Souryu, do you take Shinji Ikari as your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, so long as you both shall live?" I could feel Asuka's pulse on my hand; it was going faster then mine!

"I-I d-do…" she was stuttering? That was new!

"May I have the rings please?" I reach into my pocket and pull out the black box. Akagi hands Asuka a grey box… we really should have had a ring bearer. I take her hand and slip on the ring. Her eyes went wide when she saw it and she looked up at me. With a nod from me, she takes out my ring. Nothing special, just a gold band, but it's what it represented that made it special. She slid it over my finger, and smiled at me.

"In the power invested in me by the city of Tokyo-3, I pronounce Shinji and Asuka husband and wife. You may kiss the bride," about friggen' time! She lunges at me and our lips lock hard. A wave of applause roars over the beach. We stayed like this for a short time, and then we both pulled back and look at each other with smiles.

"We're married…" all she muttered was that. An upbeat tune started to play and another wave of claps and cheers could be heard. I look back at the crowd, all clapping their hands. Sam was crying, and Dietlinde was actually smiling at me! I glance at the very back row and see a few people that caught my eye. There were three women and a man, all clapping and smiling. The three women… they were Rei, Misato and my mother… all staring right at me. What the hell? The man was Gendo! Am I drunk or what? Asuka puts a hand on my chin and makes me look at her again. With a smile, she leans in and the kiss starts again.

"Let's let the bride and groom cut the cake!" Akagi yelled over everyone as she rolled out a tall cake. I look back over the last row, now empty. I try to brush it off, it was probably just my imagination. With a smile, we walk over to the cart, "Congratulations you two, you both deserve to be happy." She handed me a large knife, "I hope this lasts forever," that wouldn't be a problem. Asuka puts her hand next to mine on the handle and we cut the cake together. We cut the first two slices and spoon feed the first bit to each other.

"You know, Kensuke has kept his mouth shut this whole time…" I look over at him to see him tied to a chair with duct-tape on his mouth, "Ritsuko took care of him." even though I'm sure Asuka did, she didn't want to sound like she beat up Kensuke, not on her wedding day.

"Shinji! Asuka!" I see Sam walking over to us with tears in her eyes, "Congrats!" Asuka put a hand on her shoulder.

"Why are you crying? This is a happy thing!" Sam smiles, "There ya go!" they begin to talk, but I was a little distracted. Some guy with a long red beard has been staring at us for awhile, and I don't know who he is. It didn't look like he was with NERV either… I wave Akagi over.

"Did you need something my new groom?" I'll be hearing that for a good month.

"Yeah, who is that guy?" she shrugs, "Well then why is he in here? I thought we had a guest list," those guards weren't supposed to let anyone in that wasn't on the list!

"I don't know, I'll go talk to him," she walks over and says something to the man. She goes wide eyed as he says something, then she runs into Asuka's tent. What the hell just happened?

"Now it's time for the couple's first dance!" a guy comes over the microphone and a slow song begins to play. I brush off and offer my hand to Asuka.

"May I have this dance?" people make a circle around us and left more then enough room for us to dance. She put her arms around my neck and I put mine on her hips.

"Yes you may…" she laid her head on my shoulder and I felt the burning blush rise over me as people stare at us with smiles. I tried to ignore it and just enjoy our first dance as husband and wife… hell, our first dance, "Shinji… I love you…" she whispers in my ear.

"I love you too Asuka… and I love this moment…" she chuckles a little. Just then, the song ends.

"Hey Shinji!" I turn and look at one of the NERV employees.

"Um… I'm kinda busy right now… can we talk later?" he smiles and pulls out a gun.

"No… no, I think you can talk now," he aims it at me. Does a day ever pass without a gun being pointed at me? A few people gasp, some scream, frankly, I didn't care.

"Asuka… can you wait for me over there?" she stared at him wide eyed. I softly push her into the crowd and people hold onto her, "Okay, who are you with? T-Bone, YY? What about SEELE?" I start to walk over to him with my hands in my pockets.

"You killed our leader," SEELE, "now I'll kill you," I run up and pull the same thing I did on the plain; I thrust my palm onto the gun barrel.

"Pull the trigger. Think of it as a gift." He just stared at me with a confused look, "Heh… wanna hear a joke? There was a guy that completely fucked up another guys wedding, right? Then when he finally had a chance to finish it, he chickened out, take a wild guess what happened…" I knee him in the groin and he falls to the ground, "He got his ass whooped," with a groan, he aims the gun back at me.

"Die!" a loud bang echoes through the beach, once again some people scream, some gasp, and I hear Asuka scream. I look down and see him with bloody sand all around his head… what the hell?

"You can thank me later Shinji!" I look back up to see the guy with a beard holding a gun, aiming down at him, "By the way, congrats on finally getting married to Asuka! It took you long enough!" that voice… I know that voice…

A/N- There's the new married couple! Okay, SEELE obviously has made a move, but who is this mysterious man? Why did he save Shinji? What voice was Shinji talking about? Find out in the next chapter; He's Back, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	87. He's Back

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Chapter 87: He's Back

A/N- This chapter was proof-read by Frost-Eva-04. Thanks for the help man!

A/A/N- I read some pretty interesting theories. I really thought that people would know right away, but apparently I was wrong. I'll tell you that I don't think I actually said his/her name in this chapter, but you'll catch on.

Same Place

"You can thank me later Shinji!" I look back up to see the guy with a beard holding a gun, aiming down at him, "By the way, congrats on finally getting married to Asuka! It took you long enough!" that voice… I know that voice…

"Don't you ever scare me like that again!" Asuka walks up to my side and slaps me in the shoulder, "You could have been killed!"

"I'm fine, aren't I?" I look over and see Akagi walking over too us with a panicked look face. I look back up to him… I know him…

"And who the hell are you!" now she was in the guy's face.

"Asuka… you look beautiful…" she gave him a weird look, "Your child looks exactly like you, should have seen that coming, no?" she still looked at him weird, "Oh come on! _Are you going to tell me you forgot about me already?_" her eyes went wide as he spoke German to her. I knew it… "_There ya go, we'll talk later. For now, how about you and Shinji get going, huh? I doubt you want to stick around here, am I right?_" he gave her a wide smile. What the hell were they talking about?

"Okay… uh… I hate to say this, but we have to evacuate the beach… sorry…" another man came over the speakers. People start to uneasily go to their cars and drive off, eventually leaving me, Asuka and Akagi… that man disappeared among the scramble.

"Y-You kids ready to go home?" she had reason to be uneasy. With a nod, we head to her car and drive off to NERV. Sam promised to take care of Dietlinde through the night, so we were alone… finally. The car ride was silent aside from a few smiles between me and Asuka. By the time we reached the NERV gates, our fingers were laced. We damn near run to her room, knowing of the feast that awaits us. She opens the door and shows exactly what I wanted it to show; two steaks, two salads and a wine bottle… what? We were old enough to drink! The room was lit by the small amount of light coming through the curtains and two candelabras on the table.

"Wow… not bad…" I pull out her chair and let her sit down, "You really out did yourself Mr. Ikari!" I didn't do it, I just bought it.

"Thanks," might as well take credit if she's handing it out! As we started to eat, I kept on glancing at her left hand, and the ring. We were finally married… after all this time, we're married. It was as if I had gotten a hunk of diamond, but didn't know what to do with it. What were we supposed to do now? Seriously, after the honeymoon, I really don't see any changes that would happen.

"Why are you so quiet, huh? Still soaking in that fact that you married me?" yeah, basically.

"Well, I wouldn't say soaking… more like taking in the fact." She took the last bite of her steak and pushed the plate aside, "That was quick!" she gives a small grin.

"Akagi told me not to eat dinner yesterday; I might not fit in my dress, so I was starving. You know, she was right, this thing is already feeling tight…" I damn near swallow whole what's left of my steak, "You sure don't want to waste time now do you?" she stood up and walked behind me, "Well neither do I…" with a smile, I stand up and meet her eyes.

"Then why wait?" we were just about to kiss when I heard a knocking at the door… damn it, "Ugh, hold on!" I open the door and see Ritsuko with her panicked face on.

"Listen, I'm sorry for interrupting you two, but we need to talk. That man, he was-" I put a finger o her mouth and nod.

"We know… we'll talk about this later, okay?" with a slight nod, I closed the door. I walk back to a waiting Asuka and once again take her in my arms, "Now, where were we?" she grins as out lips meet again. We stumble over to the bed, all the whole kissing, and eventually crawl in. Just as things were starting to start up, yet ANOTHER knocking at the door, "What… the… hell…" I slug out form under her and answer the door, "Room closed, can't you read the si-" it was him standing at the doorway, "Oh…"

"Is that all I get? I haven't seen you two in forever and all I get is an 'oh'?" he looks over my shoulder and sees Asuka on the bed, "Oh… okay, I'll leave now," he walks out of the doorway and down the hall.

"Good plan," I turn back to Asuka, "How about I just lock this, no one comes in, no one goes out. Sound good?" I turn the lock and walk back over to her.

"You know, you could show a little bit of a fight with this… don't just follow what I say," true, but this was easier. I crawl back in bed next to her and she once again crawls on top of me.

"I could… but I like this better," our lips once again lock in a tight embrace. After only five seconds, she leans back.

"You know what?" she gets off of me and lays on my side, "I want you to be in control this time. That'll be a nice change of pace, no?" yeah well, she WAS always in control with this.

"If you want to," she reached behind her and undid the zipper, making her spaghetti straps fall loose.

"Quit wasting time…" she pulls me on top of her as we kiss again. Within two minutes, we were de-robed and under the sheets.

---

Fifteen Minutes Later (I'm not skipping over the day!)

"You know, no matter what happens, we always end up like this," as always, she was laying her head on my chest with a leg swung around me. This was – by far – the most comfortable position for both of us.

"I'm okay with it," I hear her chuckle.

"Hey, I'm not complaining! I have to admit though, when I told you to take control, damn, you did just that! Never thought that you were so… what's the word… let's say confident." For once, I was actually on top!

"You told me to…" she looks up at me and smiles, "What?"

"You're such a romantic, you know that?" why hello blush, it's been what, ten minutes? "Seriously! I'm not teasing you here, candle lit dinner, holding my chair, you know. Plus, this," she held up her left hand, "I'm pretty sure this could be counted as romantic." I hold up my hand next to hers and look at both of our rings, "See what I mean? Look at you!" was I? I never really saw that.

"Well I'm happy!" she laughs.

"Me too, but… never mind… I just think it's cute," she crawls out of bed and walks over to the table, "You know, we never drank this wine… you want to? I've never tasted wine before," neither have I, actually. Akagi was the one the recommended it, hell, she picked it out!

"Sure, do you want me to get them ready?" she waved a hand in the air and I took that as a no.

"You've done everything today, at least let me do this," she grabbed two wine glasses and poured the wine in them. When she was done, she hurried back to the bed and handed me one as she crawled in, "Damn its cold!" she crawled under the sheets, taking care not to spill the wine. I just realized… she did all of that naked! I look over at her putting her nose to the glass, "It kinda smells weird…" her face cringed as she smelled the drink.

"Well, you're supposed to drink it, not inhale it," I knew I was about to be yelled at.

"I know that asshole! I'm just saying…" I knew it!

"Well, here," I put my glass in front of her face, "just take a small sip and see if you like it," she put her lips to the glass and I tilted it to her. She took a small taste and pulled back.

"Okay, that's just nasty!" there goes 7000 Yen, "Seriously! I told you it smelled weird!" I took a small taste and cringed at the bitterness, "Did you not just hear me?" even I had to admit, that was just wrong.

"Okay, forget the wine," I take her glass and set it on the nightstand along with mine. She laid on her back and stared up at the ceiling, "You okay?" she suddenly had a blank look on her face.

"Yeah… I just don't want today to end. This has been the best day of my life, and I can see it slipping away from me." I put an arm around her shoulders and hold her tight, "What are you doing?"

"Enjoying the moment…" I see her smile. She leans over and whispers in my ear.

"You wanna go again?" bo-ya! Hell yeah!

"Already?" friggen moron… "It's only been a couple of minutes," STOP TALKING! Just shut the hell up!

"So? Why not? We have all day…" she circles a finger on my chest, "Plus, I'm in the mood…" she climbs on top of me like before. Looks like she's going to be in control again, not that I cared.

"You're right, why not? We're here to relax," not that this was exactly relaxing, but whatever.

---

That Night – 7:00 PM

"Are you two done yet?" I hear a knocking on Asuka's door and go to answer it to see him again.

"Well… yeah. We've just been talking for awhile now." In fact, we got dressed right after our second round and we've just been relaxing ever sense.

"Okay, can we talk now? I really need to talk with both of you," I let him in as he takes off his hat, "Okay, you already know who I am, and I'm sure you have questions. Lets get that out of the way first," well hell yeah we had questions!

A/N- If you don't know who he is yet, you have no grasp of logics.

"For one, where the hell have you been? Why did you play dead for this long?" Asuka walks up to him and stares him in the eye, "Do you have any idea what you did to Sam? She was sobbing over you!" he just stood there staring at the floor.

"I'm sorry… but I had my reasons… how's she doing? Can I see her?" Asuka slapped him across the face.

"You come in after all this time and now you act like it's nothing! The least you could have done was call her!" That he could have. He was kinda acting like a jerk about this.

"No I couldn't have! I have been running from those damn British for months now, and I had just a little bit of trouble getting to a fucking phone! For once in your life Asuka, look past your own nose!" he was met with yet another slap. He deserved that in my eyes.

"Don't you dare insult me after what you did! I don't care what the hell happened to you, you should have found a way! You said that you loved her! Look at Shinji, he has one hand, a daughter, and more on his back then you could ever have and yet he STILL found a way to get to me! You're making excuses to the wrong bitch!" oh… that had to hurt. She hasn't been this angry in a long time – not counting the whole 'I'm gonna shoot you!' thing.

"What do you want me to do, huh? I already said sorry, that's all I CAN do! You should be happy I'm even alive!" this was getting a little too deep. I walked in between them and faced him.

"Look, just go into Asuka's bathroom and get a shave, you can use my razor. Sam is still in your old room," with a glare at Asuka, he did as he was told, "Asuka, ease up on him. He's been through a lot," she was about to cut me off, but I didn't stop, "AND I know that you're pissed at him. Just let him see Sam, then you can beat on him," she rolled her eyes and sat on her bed.

"Fine, but only because you asked me to. After that, he's mine!" she was being a little harsh on him. he just got back after all that, and he instantly gets hit.

"Okay, I'm going to see her," he walked back out of the bathroom, now actually looking like Cass. He had large bags under his blood-shot eyes. I could tell that he hasn't gotten sleep in awhile.

"Okay… good luck," he needed it. She was going to freak out when she hears him again. Just out of curiosity, I follow behind him, trying to keep quiet. For some reason, Asuka didn't follow. She probably knew that she would have butt in. He took in a long, deep sigh before finally knocking on the door.

"Coming!" she opens the door and simply stands there, waiting for a response, "Okay, Shinji or Asuka?" I hear him chuckle a little.

"Close, but I'm a little older then them…" she raised an eyebrow.

"O… kay… and who exactly are you?" I was fairly surprised she didn't recognize his voice.

"I'll give you a few hints; I was your first kiss, you were mine, and I'm eighteen now. You know who I am yet?" Sam immediately slapped him. Cass was just everyone's personal punching bag today, huh?

"What the fuck is your problem! Do you think this is a joke? Got to hell!" she slammed the door, but Cass put his foot in the doorway.

"Sam, it's me!" she opened the door and looked up at him, "I'm Cass! Don't you recognize my voice?" she just stood there, anger in her face.

"Fine, if you're Cass, then how did I go blind?" didn't everyone know that?

"In the fight against Gluttony you were nearly eaten alive, but you ejected. Your plug raised the PSI and destroyed your eyes. I spoon fed you when I saw you again, remember?" okay, that last part, not so much.

"How did you die?" was she still quizzing him?

"For one, I'm not dead, and two, from a missile fired at my convoy by the UK. Any more hard questions Samantha Simmons?" she whipped open her eyes in surprise, "Oh, did I finally get through my dear?" his normal cocky smile is on.

"Y-You…" she put a hand on his face and ran her fingers over his features. I saw a small tear form in her eye, "Cass?" he put his hands on her shoulders.

"There ya go…" she lunged at him and hugged him tight. Looks like she finally believed him. I heard a slight whimpering coming form her as Cass held her. 'Life is finally going back to normal' I thought to myself as I saw this. Cass is with Sam, I'm with Asuka and Dietlinde, and I'm married… okay, not so normal. Maybe the word was happy.

"Where were you…?" she cried into his shirt.

"Oh, around, you know. Anything interesting happen when I was gone?" a baby, a marriage, my hand being lost, Asuka being kidnapped, Karsten making an appearance, me killing seven men, Gahiji joining us, the discovery of a new Eva, and Gendo's death… no, you didn't miss much. I heard Sam chuckle over her tears.

"You have no idea… come with me," she took his wrist and began to drag him towards Asuka's room… and to me! I ran as fast as I could back to Asuka's room and see her still on the bed.

"Oh, you're back," I hear the door open as soon as I shut it to show Sam and Cass, "Oh crap…"

"Guys! Cass is back!" she still has tears on her cheeks.

"We know," that was stupid thing to say! Why the hell did she say that?

"You knew? Why didn't you tell me!" told ya.

"We just found out ourselves! Did Cass tell you what happened?" I think I saved it right there… hopefully. I knew that he didn't, but I needed to change the subject right now!

"Actually, no…" she looked back up at him.

"Well, I survived the blast and after a few months of running, I finally got to a plane. That's about the gist of it." He had his old smile on. I forgot how much I missed that smile, "So Asuka, how did the birth go? Boy or girl?" how did the birth go? How do you think it went?

"A girl, and it was two months premature, but she's okay. As for giving birth… it hurt… A LOT." Asuka seemed to have changed her attitude to him, "Try pushing a watermelon out of the smallest hole in your body and see how you feel!" was she always going to bring that up?

"Can… I see her?" come to think of it, I would like to see her too.

"Sam has her… SAM! You left her alone!" Sam ran back out of the room, "Damn! Hurry up!" that's it; I'm taking Dietlinde with me wherever I go. We're leaving her alone too much. Sam comes back in the room a couple seconds later holding a smiling Dietlinde.

"I'm so sorry! I just forgot!" Dietlinde raised her arms in my direction, asking to be held. With a smile, I take her from Sam's arms.

"So, this is the little girl, huh? She… looks like Asuka…" she stared down at her. Dietlinde looked up at him with a confused look, as if asking who he was, "Looks like we're going to have a young Asuka running around pretty soon! So Shinji, how does it feel to have a real family now? Dietlinde Ikari and Asuka Langley Ikari… I like the sound of that!" I saw Asuka shudder a little at her name.

"Asuka? Do you not want to take my name? I really don't care if you don't," maybe I should've waited to ask, this wasn't really the time.

"No, I'm okay with it, it's just weird. Now back to the zombie here," looks like Cass has a new nickname, "you have no idea what you've missed around here. For one, Gendo's gone."

"Thank God! That asshole's finally gone!" wrong thing to say to either of us right now.

"Shut the hell up! That man gave his life for mine! Don't you ever insult him in my presents again!" damn! She took that seriously, huh? "You want to know what else you missed asshole?Sam finally found out about her parents, and you weren't there to help her through it! How can you claim to love her when you obviously don't even care about her?" we all knew that that wasn't true.

"Enough of the fucking insults! I'm sick of it! I screwed up. Is that what you want to hear? Is that what you were aiming for? To make me feel like shit? You know, I really thought that you would have grown up by now!" he was met with his fourth slap of the day, "See what I mean? You can't even handle your problems like an adult! You have a child now Asuka, try and stop acting like one!" Dietlinde started to cry from the yelling. I start to cradle her, trying to calm the infant.

"Shhhh… it's okay," Asuka once again gave Cass a glare after looking at me.

"See what you do?" she was whispering now, "You have done nothing but cause pain for all of us. Why don't you just go back to Germany an get yourself killed?" damn… that was just wrong…

"Asuka!" Sam finally spoke up, "What the hell is your problem?" uh oh… I smell a cat fight… "You may not care that he's alive, but I am! He went there defending YOUR country, and almost got killed because of it! Why don't YOU go back, huh? You're always bragging about how great Germany is, so go back!" oh shit! This is NOT going to end well!

"Sam! He left you without a fight, never called you or sent a letter, and now after all this time he comes back. You're not the least bit mad at him?" wow… she wasn't mad at Sam?

"No, not at all. I'm just happy to see that he's alive. I don't care what he did, as long as he came back." Sam looked over at me, "And you know what? At least he's not a killer! He got to me without killing seven men!" how did this turn into an attack on me?

"Shut the hell up! Shinji did what he could to get to me! Don't you remember when we first met Cass? He said that he killed over four people just training!" this was seriously getting bad.

"Listen to me you German bitch, I'm sick of your attitude. All you do is criticize, and you never help anyone. You seem so fucking proud of your daughter, well guess what? You're a teenage mother, and you know what else? You're married to a man that has killed cold blooded seven times! How do you think Dietlinde is going to grow up? She's being raised by a criminal and a slut! So you can take your perfect husband, your beautiful daughter, and your fucking ring and shove it!" what the hell just happened?

"Why don't you go and have fun with your dumbass lover? That's all you American sluts are good for!" Sam took Cass's wrist and started to walk out with anger in her face, "You wanna know something that me and Shinji share that you'll never have? At least I can see him!" the door slams shut, sending a few pictures falling to the floor. Dietlinde was still crying in my arms, and I was still cradling her. "Damnit!"

A/N- Hello! Some serious things were said, huh? Insulting lovers, insulting personality, hell, even insulting family! How do you think this is going to affect them? Will Asuka take this a step further? She's Asuka… what do you think? Find out in the next chapter; Revenge, until then, keep on keepin' on!

A/A/N- Okay, I've been having a lot of these lately, so I'm going to have a 'deleted scene' section and see how it goes. Remember that this is not how the chapter is ending, but how it COULD have ended. It picked up right after the last word in this chapter;

_She punched at the door, leaving quite the dent, "I swear to God, that asshole comes back and she falls right back into it! He's already cheated on her once, he'll do it again!" I knew that to have some truth to it. We have seen him do that before._

_"Just calm down, I know you're upset, but just relax." She pulled out a chair from the table and took a seat, "Do you need something to drink? You're sweating…"_

_"No… I'm fine…" she seemed like she was having trouble catching her breath, "I just… need a second…" she started to grip her stomach in what seemed like pain, "God… I think I'm gonna be sick…" in an instant, she kneeled over and vomited onto the carpet. The first thing I noticed was that it seemed to be made up entirely of blood…_


	88. Revenge

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Chapter 88: Revenge

A/N- This chapter was proof-read by Frost-Eva-04. Thanks for the help man!

A/A/N- (wipes a tear from eye) Damn I hated writing this chapter…

Asuka's Room – Later That Night – 10:00 PM

This room has been silent for the most part the whole day. We were both laying on her bed staring up at the ceiling. Aside from Asuka feeding Dietlinde, me changing her diapers, and small talk with the baby, nothing was said. Not that I really wanted to talk, mainly because I knew it would be about what happened earlier today. Some things were said that… well… crossing the line just doesn't describe it well enough. Everything came out, Sam even insulted Dietlinde! Seriously, where did that slut thing come from? I'm the only person she's ever had sex with… aside from 'him'. I'm actually surprised that they didn't get into a fight; I could tell both of them were ready for it.

"Shinji…" I damn near jump out of my skin at her sudden comment, "Do you think what Sam said about Dietlinde is true?" I can see how she thought it, but like I said, I'm done with my 'job'.

"Not at all, she was just mad. I mean, if anything I'd be the problem, not you. I really don't see where she got the slut from," hell, Asuka's only had sex five times!

"Yeah, that was kinda random. I'll only be with you," she put a hand on my chest, "and I only WANT you…" I feel the same way. Come to think of it, this was the first time she's said anything like that.

"Yeah… same here," the room once again went quiet. Damn I hate this silence! It's killing me! After a few minutes, I had to break it, "It's getting late, we should go to bed," like hell it was late! It was only ten!

"If you want to…" she reached over and turned off the only light source in the room, leaving the room pitch black. She laid her head on my chest and swung a leg around my body, just like always. I close my eyes and TRY to relax, but my mind kept on wandering. Whether it be from the fight today or the fact that we got married just a few hours ago, I was thinking about it. I can't believe that SEELE asshole ruined my wedding! I wanted that to be perfect, but instead he had to come along. He DID pay for it though! After half an hour, I finally fall asleep, dreaming of my new bride.

---

Around 3:30 AM

"Mmmmm…" I wake up to Dietlinde whining, and it sounds like she was about to cry. I start to get up out of bed, but Asuka grips me tight, making it impossible for me to leave.

"Just give her a second… I want to see if she'll get over it on her own," testing Dietlinde mental strength? She's a baby!

"MmmMMmmm… mmm…" she seemed to calm down after that. That first whine got pretty loud, but we both brushed it off.

"See? Our daughter's strong on her own. I know that we both love her, but she needs to learn to become strong. We'll always be there for her, and we'll never let her get hurt, but we have to stand back every now and then. Okay?" well, she WAS Asuka's daughter! She was right though, we had to act like more of a guardian angel then a shield. With a smile, I lean back and relax. Soon enough, I fall back asleep.

---

Morning – 10:00 AM

"Hey Shinji, wake up," I slowly open my eyes to see Asuka staring up at me with a smile, "it's getting kinda late, we should get up."

"Do we have to? I'm comfortable…" I start to close my eyes again, wanting nothing more then to fall back asleep, "Just give me ten more minutes, then we can get up, I promise…"I couldn't help but shiver a little. It seemed really cold in here.

"Okay, fine… just move your arm, it's kind of annoying me now," my arm was draped over her shoulder, but she never seemed to mind before. I take it away and rest it on my stomach. Her smile turns into a glare.

"Oh come on, you know damn well what I'm talking about! You're elbowing me in the stomach!" what the hell was she talking about? Both of my arms are on my stomach, one above the sheets and one below.

"No I'm not, is it a pillow or something?" she rolls her eyes.

"No! It's not!" with a quick thrust, she rips the covers off of us, trying to prove her point. I don't avert my stare at her as she does though. She looks down and instantly goes white as a ghost. Her eyes were also wide. I could feel her starting to breathe heavily as she stared down.

"Asuka? Are you okay?" I look down and go just as white as her.

"D-D-Diet…" I grab her and leap out of bed, throwing the covers back up as I do. She still stared at the bed as we stood in the middle of the room. My heart felt like it was about to bust out of my chest, and my knees began to feel like water. Asuka fell to her knees and began to sob fully into her hands. I still stood there staring at the small lump under the sheets. A large red spot was surrounding it. Right next to her, I fall to my knees, finally succumbing to my weight. I felt two small streams of tears start to run down my face, "Dietlinde!" Asuka was still sobbing into her hands. Slowly, I get up and walk to the side of the bed. I grip the top of the sheets and pull them off.

There in the middle of the bed, surrounded by a large red spot, was the head of an infant… Dietlinde. Her eyes were still open and blankly looking up at me. Please… for the love of God… let this be a dream…

"Dietlinde…" I stare down at her, now with fully flowing tears.

"FUCK!" I hear Asuka slam her fists on the floor, but I don't look at her. I look down at my clothes, now stained from the chest down to my pelvis with blood. Asuka was the same way. Out of nowhere, I hear a knocking at the door.

"Asuka? I was walking by and heard you scream, are you okay?" it was Akagi. Neither of us moved, we both just stayed in place crying. Once again, my knees give out, ending with my sobbing into the bed sheets, "Hello? Are you okay?" still, neither of us said anything, the only thing that could be heard was a heavy whimpering, "Answer me now or I'm coming in!" after two more seconds, the door swung open, "Asuka? What's- oh my God!" I bring my head up and look at her staring down at Dietlinde.

"Please… let this be a dream…" I'm practically begging her. She stood there, simply staring at Dietlinde with wide eyes. Slowly, she made her way over to the crib. She peeked inside and instantly vomited onto the floor.

"AHHH!" Asuka screams into the air as she sobbed. That whining last night… it wasn't her crying… it was her asking for help… someone got in here. Someone killed my daughter. I should have gotten up… I should have gotten up and just ignored what Asuka said. I could have saved her…

"G-Get me… security… in Asuka's r-room…" I saw Akagi talking into her phone, tars flowing down her face. Within a few seconds, the room had four large police men in it.

"Holy shit…" one of the men stared at the bed while the rest were over the crib. Slowly, I get up and get down next to Asuka. She instantly lunged at me and cried into my chest as we sat there.

"Dietlinde! AHH!" she once again screamed. Asuka held me tight as she possibly could, and I had my head resting on hers. Tears dropped onto her hair as I cried freely. How could I let this happen? What did Dietlinde do to deserve this? She was just a baby…

"Sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you all to leave…" one of the men walked up and put a hand on my shoulder.

"She… was my daughter…" he looked down on me with uncaring eyes, "I won't leave…" I wasn't about to just up and leave this room.

"Yes you will. Hey Sai, get these kids out of here," a men walks up to me and grabs my wrist.

"Okay, time to go," he began to drag me and Asuka away. I didn't really fight too much, not that I was even able. I could barely breathe, let alone fight. He took us out in the middle of the hallway and simply left us there. he walked back into the room and slammed the door shut.

"Asuka…" that was all I could mutter. Nothing else came to mind. Seeing Dietlinde… God… that's going to haunt me for the rest of my life. Her beautiful blue eyes stared up at me lifeless, and I couldn't do anything about it. My child was dead… and I can't do anything.

"Please… don't tell me she's gone! Just tell me that I'm asleep…" I wanted to so badly, "Just fucking kill me!" she punches at the wall an actually leaves a hole, "I can't take this! Just kill me… we were going to raise her together… she looked up to us as parents… don't tell me she's dead!" her eyes were shut tight as she screamed. "AAHHHH!" she let out another scream as she cried.

"Why didn't I get up… why didn't I help her…?" she continued to cry, and so did I. Why did this have to happen? Who did this? YY? One of T-Bone's guys? No, none of them knew my name. Sam? She may have been pissed, but not that bad. Suddenly, it hit me like a ton of bricks, "SEELE…"

---

Akagi's Office – One Hour Later

We were all sitting in Akagi's office. Both me and Asuka were still crying, but I tried to keep my composure. Asuka on the other hand was sobbing. Ritsuko said that she needed to talk with both of us. Hell, even she was still crying.

"O-Okay… we know what h-happened… as you know, Shinji is being hunted by SEELE…" she took a long pause.

"SEELE did this! Why the fuck did they kill Dietlinde? Why didn't they just kill us!" Asuka had that raging fire in eyes.

"It… was a warning…" a fucking warning! "They're telling you to drop your position. They tried this with Gendo, but he brushed it off." They tried it with Gendo? I'm his only son! Forget it, I need something else right now.

"Let me see the MAGI, now. No questions, now comments, just take me to it." She looked at me with a confused face, "What is so fucking hard to understand about that? Do you speak Japanese? Take… me… to… MAGI." With a shaking head she gets up.

"Fine, do what you want," with Asuka still clinging to my body, I get up and follow her out of the room. We silently made our way to a large room with a huge screen on the wall. Without a word, Akagi left us alone.

"What… are you doing?" she releases me and I walk over to the keyboard.

"Finding SEELE. If they are above NERV, then this thing should at least tell me where they are." Slowly, she made her way over to my side. After a few minutes of poking around in files and documents, I finally find one of SEELE. At the bottom of the screen were a few numbers that said '143 E, 40 N'. "Okay, that's enough. I'll be back later," I get up and start to walk out of the room.

"Please… don't leave right now… I don't want to be alone… I can't be alone…" I turn and look at her still teary eyes.

"You can stay with Akagi, I'm going to SEELE. Like I said, I'll be back later. Love you," I give a wave and walk out of the room. I hear the door swing open soon after I close it.

"You're not going…"what was she saying? Of course I was going! "Unless you take me with you…" I turn and look at her, now with a mildly proud look on her face.

"No, I'm not going to lose you too. Just wait here," I once again begin to walk off, but she grabs my hand.

"I'm going…" she still had a pale face and tears in her eyes.

"You could get killed, you know that, right? This isn't going to be like fighting an angel." She shakes her head.

"I'm going… drop it…" That voice tone – for some reason – made me accept her demand. I knew that she shouldn't be going, but her of all people wanted revenge. I had to make a stop first.

"Okay, but I need to talk with an old friend. You can come with if you want," we both walk out to my car in silence. When I finally start up the car and begin driving, she speaks up.

"W-Where… are we going?" the last of her tears are drying up. I swear to God, SEELE is going to pay.

"We're going to Rei's…"

A/N- Just so you know, I actually cried during this chapter. That's right, I literally started to cry as I wrote. Find out what happens in the next chapter; That Song, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	89. That Song

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Chapter 89: That Song

A/N- This chapter was proof-read by Frost-Eva-04, thanks for the help man!

In Front Of Rei's Apartment

"Follow me, and when you get inside, try not to step on anyone. Whatever you do, do NOT say your name or mine." I take her hand and help her out of the car. She kept quiet and did as she was told. Just like before, I casually walk inside and see junkies all over. Down at the end of the hallway was YY, once again counting money, "Hey YY!" he pops up his head and looks at me.

"Monster? Hey man! Holy Shit! Did you two kill a guy or what? And who's that with you, huh?" he walked over to us and puts out his hand to Asuka. She uneasily takes it and shakes his hand.

"Forget it. Listen, I'm going to need your help one last time. I'm going to need a few guns, but none of that .9mm crap," he lets out a small chuckle.

"Man, you just keep on getting in more trouble, huh? Okay, follow me," he guides us over to the closet where that first person I killed was in and opened it, "This is the last favor I'm giving you, got it? If you're not wanting that '.9mm' crap you so blandly put it, I got other things." Inside of the closet was a rack with many guns on it, and on the floor were two boxes filled to the rim with ammo.

"We're going to need something fast," with a smile, he reaches out and grabs one of them.

"Say hello to the Tec-9! Up to fifty rounds per magazine, fifty-five meter range, and perfect for clearing a room quick! Pretty light too," it was a solid black gun with a long magazine in front of the trigger. It was a little more then a foot long, and looked pretty damn mean. I saw Asuka shudder at the sight.

"Okay, that's good. Got two of em?" he leans down and picks another one up.

"Hell yeah! Now, is that it?" I doubt it.

"No, I also need one with power. Got that?" he gets another smile on his face.

"Why, yes I do!" he reaches out and pulls out a long rifle, "This is the M5! Think of it as a seriously supped-up AK-47. I think this will suit you just fine. I only have one though, so she's going to have to get a different one. What are you looking for pretty little lady?" like Asuka knew anything about guns!

"Give me a MP5 with an optical sight, a retractable stock and a thirty round clip." Uh… never mind…

"Black or brown?"

"Black." He reaches down and takes out a jet-black gun. It was two feet long, and made my gun look like a friggen blade, "eight-hundred rounds a minute, two-hundred meter range, and above all, German…" how the hell did she know all of that?

"Uh… yeah… okay, now for the ammo." He picks up a small brown bag and hands it to me, "I think this'll be enough. Is that it?" with a wave, I start to walk out.

"Yeah, thanks YY," we left the house and got into the car, trying to hide our guns. Like it mattered, we're not going to get in trouble in this neighborhood. Nobody cared. When we got into the car, I saw that Asuka was extremely uneasy, "Sorry you had to see that Asuka," I really wished that I never had to go back there, but instead I ended up going with Asuka.

"No… don't worry about it… lets just go, I want to go today…" she had a monotone voice as she spoke. I wasn't even going to go back to NERV, I was just driving straight there. We had nothing left at NERV, not even friends, so why go back? This was going to be a long drive though; it was all the way up in northern Japan. This might take us all day to get there. Asuka's personality was creeping me out, she was monotone now, and she seemed uncaring, "Are we just going to go straight there?"

"Yeah… unless you want to stop by NERV," she nodded.

"I do…" she didn't give a reason as to why, but I just followed her request. When we got to NERV, she got out of car and began to walk on her own. She seemed so helpless right now. Her arms were wrapped around her chest as she walked. I followed not too far behind her, but I still tried to keep close. She eventually made her way back to her room. I didn't want to go back in there… I couldn't stand to see Dietlinde like that again, yet I still followed her inside.

"Oh… Asuka…" Akagi was in the room talking with one of the guards. When I walk in, I damn near started to cry again. The smell… the smell of my baby… was nauseating. The human being that me and Asuka made, that we were raising, that we loved, was already decaying. Asuka didn't say a word as she made her way over to the crib, "Wait! Don't look in there!"

"Oh my God!" Asuka once again fell to her knees crying. I go over and peek inside myself and nearly faint.

"Shinji! Get away from there!" Akagi grabbed my shoulders and pulled me away from the sight, "God I wish you hadn't seen that…" me to…

"D-Dietlinde…" I knew that I was white as flour, "What… d-did he do to her?" just like Asuka, I felt tears once again run down my cheeks. What kind of sick bastard was this? Not only did he decapitate her, that fucker cut her to pieces! I couldn't even see my child anymore… God, I would give my life just to see her one more time… one more smile…

"I'm so sorry… we're doing everything we can…" she did NOT just say that!

"Bullshit! You already know who did this, so why are you still here? You should be out getting to SEELE!" she just shook her head.

"We can't attack a superior organization," I push her away.

"Then fuck off!" I go over and grab Asuka's hand, guiding her out of the room afterwards. She pulled away from my grip, still crying, and walked back over to the crib, "Asuka, come on. We have to get going," sure, I was crying my eyes out, but I was so pissed I just ignored it. With a frantically shaking hand, she reached into the crib. She pulled out Dietlinde's bear and looked down onto it. Surprisingly, it had only a few spots of blood on it. She hugged it tight as she walked back over to me. Before I walk out of the room I grab a two pairs of clothes. I put my arm around her shoulders and walk out of the room. She buried her nose in the head of the bear, smelling out old child.

"God… I can't believe she's gone…" tears soaked into the light-brown fabric of the bear, "I want her back… so bad…" she clenched her eyes shut and cried freely.

"I know… me too…" I know that I had just as many tears as her – if not more – but I had to be the strong one in this. The walk from there was quiet. She got into the car quietly, still hugging the bear.

"I love you Dietlinde… mommy loves you…" she had her eyes closed as I began to drive off, "I'm so sorry Dietlinde… please forgive me…" I see more tears fall from her eyes, only to fall on the bear. Even through clenched eyes, tears still flowed rapidly, "sleep well my baby… I hope you're happy…" her bottom lip quivered as she spoke. God, it was even getting to me! I wipe off my tears and look back onto the road, "never forget that I love you…" while still holding the bear, she leans to one side so her body is resting on the door. After a few minutes, I heard a slight snoring coming from her. After what happened today, I could use a good sleep… hell, let me stay asleep. I'd rather be dead right now…

---

Six Hours Later

Six hours on the road and I'm barely half way there. I was making a stop for gas after I saw that I was running on empty. Asuka was still asleep as I got out the car. With a sigh, I slide my bank card in the gas pump. Of course, it was over-priced as hell.

"Mmmmm…" I look back at Asuka, now moving around, and starting to wake up, "Shinji?" she slowly opens her eyes and looks up at me, "Please tell me it was a dream… tell me that I was asleep this whole time…" I see tears once again form in her eyes.

"Just… go back to sleep, I'll wake you up when we get there, okay?" she looks down at the bear.

"So it was real…" she lays her head backwards onto the seat, "and we're still doing this…" she's the one that wanted to come, I was going to go on my own.

"Do you want me to take you back? I'd rather not have you there anyway," she slowly shook her head.

"No…" that was all she said as she got back into her old position on the door. I finish pumping the gas and crawl back in. I still had a long way to go until we arrive at SEELE, so I tried not to waste too much time. After about an hour of driving in silence, Asuka turns and looks at me. She was still awake?

"Y-You need something?" she had a blank look on her face.

"Shinji…" her eyes once again became glassy, "I'm… sorry… I know that it doesn't mean anything… but I'm sorry…" the tears eventually build up and rolled down her cheek, "I didn't let you out of bed… she was begging for help… and I didn't let you go…" even though that was true, I didn't see this as her fault, even a little bit.

"Stop right there, don't even start to blame this on yourself. It wasn't your fault, and it wasn't mine, some killer from SEELE did this, and we're going to get him back. Got me?" she still stared at me with those glassy blue eyes. She once again brought the bear up to her face and averted her stare to the floor.

"But you could've saved her…"

"I said enough! I could have gotten up if I wanted, you weren't the one that stopped me!" she still stared at the floor, "Asuka! Are you listening to me? Don't just ignore me like that!"

"Please… stop yelling…" she brought her knees up to her chest, putting the bear in between her torso and her legs, "don't yell at me…" she hid her face in her knees. She hugged her legs tight, almost as if she was trying to make a physical shell, simply to keep the pain out.

"Okay… sorry…" I put my hand on her shoulder, "Just please don't blame yourself, okay?" she shivers under my touch. Seeing her in this fetal position was – to say the least – depressing. If a person as strong as Asuka was acting like this, then how the hell am I going to make it through? The only reason I haven't broken down as much as her was because of my pride getting in the way. When she didn't react to my touch, I took back my hand and paid attention to the road. After a few minutes, I hear a faint humming. That humming eventually morphed into words.

"_Stille, mein Kind, bin ich hier. Schreien Sie nicht, bleiben Sie stolz und stark. Wissen Sie wo Sie sind von, wissen Sie, wo Sie sind und... daß I... morgens hier wissen Sie._" God, I loved that song. It was one of the few things that calmed me these days, "_Sie schreien während der Vergangenheit, aber nicht der Zukunft. Es gibt nichts, das Sie sich fürchten, dort ist nichts Sie hassen. Der Grund ist dieser; Sie kennen die Wahrheit._" I still remember when we first sang this song to Dietlinde, "_Bitte schauen mein Kind, vorwärts und weg von mir, denn ich habe nicht gegeben. Für habe mich nicht geliefert. Für habe mich nicht mich interessiert._" She was at the climax of the song now, "_Stille, mein Kind, sind Sie nicht allein. Schreien Sie nicht, halten Sie Ihren Kopf gehalten stolz. Wissen Sie wo ich sind von, die Wahlen, die kennen Sie ich traf, was wissen Sie zu tun, wenn Sie mit Mühe gegenübergestellt werden, und bitte... immer... wissen Sie, daß ich liebe dich..._" as always, she ended on that perfect high note. I could actually feel my eyes starting to water afterwards. That song brought back memories t of Dietlinde, memories that I know can never happen again. Her eyes never opened during the song, she just kept her face buried in her knees.

"I don't care what you say, you can sing pretty good. Are you ever going to tell me where you learned it?" she finally raised her head, but only to rest it on her knees. Why won't she look at me?

"My mother… she would force me to sing that song when I would visit her. My great-great grandmother wrote it, and it has been passed down sense. She would always say 'You're going to have a daughter one day too', like I believed that. I never wanted kids, up until Dietlinde was born, I despised them…" and what was up with the new monotone voice? She sounded like Gendo.

"Uh… can you… tell me the words?" not only was this an awkward moment, but it was an awkward question. The air in this car was so thick, I could actually see it.

"No… I'm the only one that knows the words… and I'm going to die just that way…" no, that wasn't depressing. Not knowing exactly how to respond to that, the silence once again made an appearance. The only sound that could be heard was the humming of the under-passing pavement. Asuka didn't go back to sleep though, she stayed in that position, simply staring out the front window. After another hour of driving, still nothing had happened. Once again, I was the one to break the silence.

"Hey Asuka?" no response, "Did… you like the wedding? I mean, did you have fun?" finally, she looked over at me. Her blood-shot eyes had small bags under them. Asuka, always being the one to care deeply about how she looked, would normally never let this happen, so this was new – and slightly creepy – to me.

"Yes, and after all this time, I'm happy to finally be Asuka Langley Ikari… now please… just stay quiet…" she rested her head back on her knees. Looks like the silence will continue to kill me, but I had to admit, hearing that name still brings a smile to my face. I glance down at the brown bag filled with bullets and guns, and all that it implied. On one hand, we were going to get revenge for what they did to Dietlinde, but on the other hand, I'm going back to my old ways. Truthfully, I was okay with that, because I knew that I can get out, but Asuka… Asuka is the one I'm worried about. I'm dragging her into this, I'm making her a killer too. I can't do this… I can't do this with Asuka here… if she dies… I won't do this!

"Asuka, you're going home. I'm going to drop you off at the airport, go back to NERV." I take an exit from the freeway and head to the airport.

"No I'm not… I'm going with you," if I saw her die… I couldn't live with myself…

"No you're not! I'm not going to lose you too!" the airport is starting to come into view.

"Shinji… stop…" her voice had some emotion in it, "You're taking me with you…"

"No I'm not!" I quickly pull over to a side street and glare at her, "Asuka, I already lost Dietlinde, I'm not going to lose my wife! Will you please just drop the pride and let me take you home!" she glared right back at me.

"And I'm not going to lose you!" she held up her hand to my face, "See this ring? It means that we're together for the rest of our lives, and if that means me dieing, I'm fine with that! 'For better and for worse' were you even listening when he said that? We're in this together, got it?" that was the first sign of emotion she's shown all day… even though it was anger, I loved it.

"But Asuka, I-" I was cut off with a harsh slap.

"Enough! I've heard enough of your fucking selfish talk! I'm going with you, and if that means that I have to beat the shit out of you to do it, I will! You think I'm joking around about this Shinji, but in case you haven't noticed, I'm not in a joking mood!" holy shit… what just happened? I don't care what happens, she's not going.

"Asuka, I'm not going to let you go. Conversation over, you're going home. I'm not some fourteen year old brat anymore; and you can't beat me up anymore. I'm sorry that I'm doing this, but frankly, you don't have a choice." She got that fire in her eyes. With a quick thrust, she reaches down into the brown bag and whips out the MP5.

"I swear to God, I will blow your fucking head off!" she holds it to my forehead, "I know damn well how to drive, I don't need you! Now turn this fucking car around!" she wasn't kidding… she was serious about this… "You heard me!" with an uneasy hand, I put the car back into drive and turn back around. I wasn't about just let this go, but at the time, I didn't have much of a choice. She lowered the gun and put it back in the bag, "If you think that I'm just going to let Dietlinde's death go, you're wrong. I swear to God… whoever did that to her is going to die…" she had he monotone voice again. She once again held the bear in her arms as I drove.

"Asuka… I'm so-"

"Just shut up! Don't say another word!" and I didn't. I've heard that voice before, and it's not one to mess with. The idea of avenging Dietlinde was engraved in her brain now; she couldn't shake it if she wanted to, and if she didn't get what she wanted, it would surly eat at her soul. With anger in her eyes, she put her body-weight against the door and soon was asleep again. She really would have killed me… it wasn't like last time… she really would have pulled the trigger… this is all that matters to her now. Nothing else in the world could distract her right now, she was like a machine. She was becoming… me…

A/N- Asuka got pissed yet again! Okay, I once again cried during this chapter when I wrote about Asuka talking to Dietlinde. As for the song, I did write it, so there is no need for disclaimers, and no, I won't tell you the words until the end of the fic. I'm sure by now all of you are cursing me out by now, and I'll take it. All I ask is that you stick with this story, I think you'll like the ending. Anyway, what do you think will happen when they get to SEELE? Will they even live? Find out in the next chapter; One More, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	90. One More

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Chapter 90: One More

A/N- This chapter was proof-read by Frost-Eva-04, thanks once again!

A/A/N- Okay, it was brought to my attention that the German was wrong… blame the damn online translator!

North Japan – 3:00 AM

"Just a little longer…" I was almost there. Thank God too; I was damn near about to faint from exhaustion. I knew Asuka wasn't going to let me sleep though; she wanted to get in there as fast as she could. Maybe I could convince her to let me sleep a few hours if I begged. Hopefully…

SEELE was coming into sight. It was a very large black building with a few of the NERV logos on it. As I drive, I see a motel… and I pull into the parking lot. I just couldn't go in there feeling like this. I bet I wouldn't even be able to walk too far.

"Asuka, wake up," I nudge her a little, "Asuka," she slowly raises her head and looks at me with those blank eyes.

"Are we there yet?" she rubs her eyes as she got up all the way.

"No… I just need a rest stop. Do you mind if I sleep a few hours? I've been driving all day, and I really need to sleep," without a word, she opens the door and steps out.

"Go ahead," she stretches her arms over her head as I get out, "Go check in and hand over the car." What?

"Asuka, what are you talking about?" she walks over to the drivers side and leans on the door.

"I'm not waiting. You can sleep all you want, now hand over the keys. I'm not waiting," I put the keys in my pocket, ending with a glare in my direction, "Look, if you want to just sleep, go ahead, but don't hold me back from doing this! You can either come, or have your precious little nap!" I begin to walk to the lobby.

"If I'm not mistaken, you were asleep far before me. Asuka, just give me a few hours," I hear her run up beside me, "All I'm asking for is a few hours, can't you just do this one thing for me?" she puts her arm out in front of me, causing me to stop.

"Shinji… I love you… but I'm not waiting on this…" I could hear her trying to repress her anger.

"Asuka, do you really think that I'd be this stubborn if I didn't need it? I have been driving all day, and I got up early. I physically can't make it in there. Please… just do this for me…" she lets out a long sigh.

"Fine… you got four hours…" she begins to walk again, "That's it. I will leave without you if you don't get up, got it?" we enter the lobby and get out of the cool night air.

"Welcome, how may I be of service?" the woman behind the counter looked half-asleep herself. She spoke in a monotone voice.

"Um… yeah, can I rent a room for the night?" she just tossed me a key.

"Just go ahead, forget about the pay…" I – of course – didn't argue with this. With a shrug, I walk back out of the lobby. Asuka follows a few steps behind me. The room number was written on the key – room 666… ah crap…

---

Inside Motel Room

"Okay, hurry up. You got until seven thirty, and if you're not up, I WILL leave." With a nod, I climb into bed.

"Thanks Asuka, really," I was literally asleep within a few seconds. I could not have possibly been more tired, my eye-lids felt like they were made of lead. Before I fell asleep, Asuka was sitting on the chair across the room, hugging the bear tight.

---

Morning – 7:30 AM

Apparently, the time to wake up was so etched into my brain that I did it without any push. I sit up in bed and stretch. That felt great! Sure, I could've still used a good four more hours, but hey, better then nothing.

"Okay Asuka, we can go now," I crawl out of bed and look around. Asuka wasn't in the small room… "Fuck!" I jet out of the room and see that my car was still in the parking lot. I still had the keys in my pocket, so I run over to the car and unlock it, hoping to catch up with her. When I sit in the driver's side, I see a note taped to the wheel. 'Shinji, I'm sorry… I couldn't wait. Don't worry; I'll take care of this. Please remember that I love you. Your friend, your lover, you wife, Asuka Langley Ikari' I feel a tear form in my eye as I rev the engine to life and speed off. "Fuck! Why couldn't you just wait four fucking hours!" both the heat meter and speedometer sky rocket. SEELE gets closer and closer and with a few minutes, I was parked outside of the building.

I reach into the brown bag – subconsciously noticing that her guns are gone – and grab my guns. I load them up as fast as I could, but with one hand, it took me quite awhile. About ten minutes I'd say. With the M5 hung on my back and the Tec-9 in hand, I leap out of the car and run towards the entrance. I immediately see two bodies lying on the floor surrounded by blood. I burst through the shot-lock door and look around. A good five men in front of me were lying on the floor, also surrounded by blood. A few of them still crawled around, obviously alive. I just ignore them and continue on my way. SEELE was basically one large hallway, now littered with bodies.

I eventually come to a fork, and basically chose by random. I go right and see about twenty men storming down the hallway… damn it! They all raise their guns and fire randomly. I leap back behind the fork as I see concrete fly from the walls. With the Tec-9 in hand, I peek around the corner and fire about fifty rounds. I see five men fall to the floor and a couple yell in pain. With a grunt, I drop the Tec and grab the M5. I leap from outside my cover and fire at them. Most would have said that I was firing at random, but in truth, every one of my shots hit their target. Two years of piloting Eva sure did a number on my motor skills. When they all fell to the ground, I realize that this couldn't have been the right way. I run back to the other hallway and instantly see a hallway filled with bodies. After I scan the hallway further, I see Asuka in the distance holding a man up by his neck pinned up against a wall. She had the barrel of her Tec-9 shoved in his mouth and she was yelling.

"Tell me who the fuck killed my baby!" the man had flailing arms and legs. When I got closer, I saw that Asuka was crying quite a bit. With a loud scream, she emptied a few rounds into the back of his neck, sending blood spraying onto the wall. The thrashing stopped, and she let go of him, letting him fall to the ground. She turned her head and looked at me with teary eyes. Slowly, I walk over to her and hug her tight.

"God… don't you ever do that again… I thought I lost you…" I feel tears run down my face. She begins to sob into my chest. I put my hand on her back and try to comfort her, "Are you okay?" she looked up at me with red eyes and shook her head.

"No… my arm…" I look down onto her left arm and see a steady river of blood running from her shoulder. It was obviously from a bullet.

"Okay, hold on," I let go of her and take off my shirt. Carefully, I wrap it around her wound, "Brace yourself…" with a quick tug, I tighten the knot as hard as I could. She lets a loud scream and grabbed her shoulder, "Sorry, had to stop the bleeding."

"It's okay…" she had her eyes clenched closed in pain. I take her back into a tight embrace and shed a few tears myself. She pulled back and looked up at me with a smile. In an instant, she leaned forward and kissed me deeply. She wrapped her arms around my neck and I did the same to her waist. It's been too long that I've gotten any contact with her, let alone this, so I melted into it right away. Out of nowhere, she pulls back and screams into the air. With wide teary eyes, she slid down to the floor. She was lying on her stomach and I saw that she had a large red spot on her lower back. I look up to see a man standing there with a gun in hand.

"You son of a bitch!" I jet towards him as fast as I could and tackle him to the floor. With a last effort, he fires a round at me, but I put up my hand and block it, "What the fuck was that!" I trust my hand into his face and wrap my other hand around his neck. His arms and legs flailed until – after thirty seconds – he went limp. I get up and empty my clip onto his body. I run back over to Asuka and pick her up. I could still feel a pulse, but she was bleeding too badly for me to help her. I jet back to the car and get to the nearest hospital. She was unconscious, and to make matters worse, the traffic was bumper to bumper.

I grab one of the guns and fire into the air. Cars instantly scattered and basically made a clear path. A few were in accidents, a few were even off road, but frankly, I couldn't have cared less. I flew down the street and to a nearby hospital. I run in with her in my arms screaming for help.

"Hey… She needs help… she's been shot…" I was so out of breath, I could barely talk. A nurse comes running over to me with a stretcher and I set her down on it. Without a word, the nurse runs off with Asuka into the ER. Within a few seconds, she comes back out with a panicked look on her face.

"Is that Asuka Langley Souryu?" I nod, "Damn it…we can't do anything. You're going to need to get NERV down here to operate on her. All hospitals in Japan were specifically told that if any pilots were to come here we weren't allowed to treat them." What the hell kind of rule is that!

"You're fucking kidding me! She's in there, damn near bleeding to death, and you won't help her?" she bows her head, "Fuck!" I considered simply getting out one of the guns and forcing them to help her, but I just couldn't bring myself to do that. If I did, then they'd know that we started all of this. With an unsteady hand, I take out my phone and call Section 2. They said that they'd be here in a few minutes, but that still wasn't quick enough. They roll Asuka back out on the stretcher.

"Listen," a nurse whispered in my ear, "We injected her with a blood clotting solution. It should slow down the bleeding, but don't tell them that." I hear a helicopter land outside the hospital.

"Whatever," like that was going to do anything if her organs were injured. I take her out to the helicopter and they load her in.

"Are you okay?" one of the agents checked out my body.

"I'm fine, just go! How long until we get to NERV?" he frowned.

"It'll take about three hours…" I see him inject Asuka with something, "She'll be fine though. That's a little something Akagi whipped up. It basically stops bleeding from what I've heard."

"Damn it… okay, just try to hurry…" I knew I couldn't do anything at this point. Asuka's life was in the hands of the speed of this copter.

---

Three Hours Later

That damn injection worked for about the first two hours, after that it was basically useless. The bleeding continued, and it ended up with me having to hook up a tube going from my wrist to hers just so her heart was able to beat. Her heart has slowed down to only 40 beats a minute and I overheard one of the agents say that she was basically dead. I felt like I was about to pass out from loss of blood myself, but I managed to stay awake. We were just now landing at NERV and I could see that Akagi was already waiting for us on the ground. The second we landed she took Asuka and rolled her to the hospital, with me following close behind.

"Do you mind telling me what the fuck you two were doing! Why the hell does Asuka have a bullet in her back!" we entered the hospital branch of NERV.

"I'll tell you later, just do something about this!" she rolled her eyes and pushed Asuka into the ER. One of the nurses held me back from following her.

"I'm sorry, but you can't go in there. Please wait over here," how she managed to overcome me was far beyond me, but she somehow got me to stay seated until I calmed down, "She'll be fine, I promise," she walked off into the ER. I feel a few tears fall from my eyes. The look on Asuka's face…I can't let that be my last memory of her… I can't let her pure terror be the last thing I have…I bury my face into my hands and basically ball like a child. What could I do at this point? I was obviously no help at SEELE, and now I can't do anything either. I felt so helpless, so useless. My wife was in there dieing because of me… all because I couldn't protect her. It wasn't supposed to come to this, she wasn't supposed to die. I suddenly feel a presents next to me. I look up to see Sam standing there with a worried look on her face.

"Is… she…" I could see that she was holding back tears, "Is Asuka…" I don't say anything, "What happened?"

"We went to SEELE…" I finally summed up the strength to talk, "We went to SEELE for revenge… and she paid for it…" she suddenly had a confused look on.

"Revenge, what are you talking about? Did you go there for me? I told you that I was going to resolve this!" how close minded could one person be?

"Like hell we went there for you! We went there for Dietlinde, not your sorry ass!" I was standing up and staring down at her at this point, "Asuka couldn't care less about you and frankly, neither could I! Use my child as an insult one more God damn time, I fucking dare you!" she stood there surprised at what just happened, then she begins to cry, "No! Don't even start with that! You don't care about any of this, so don't even try and pretend! You don't care that Asuka's in there close to death, you don't care that I have to deal with this, and you couldn't care less about Dietlinde!" she whips around and runs down the hall in tears. Just then I see Cass turn the corner… crap! Yet another asshole to deal with!

"What the hell did you just do?" he had anger in his eyes as he stormed over to me, "What did you just do to Sam?" he grabs me by the collar, "Speak up Ikari! If you can say it to her face, then say it to mine!"

"Oh shut the hell up! You never cared about her!" I push away from his grip, "All you ever saw in her was her measurements! You cheated on her within the first week of you two dating! Asuka was right, you really don't care about anything!" he threw a punch at my face, but I caught it before it hit me, "You only beat me last time because I actually cared about you…" I twist his fist, making him fall to his knees, "In case you can't tell, I'm in no mood for an argument, got it?" I let go if him and he stands up, taking a few steps back by doing so.

"You know what? I came here to help you through this, but you know what? Fuck you! Asuka can go to hell for all I care!" that was more then enough to set me off. I tackle him to the ground and beat at his face like I did with Karsten.

"She can go to hell? Is that what you just fucking said!" I plant my elbow into the side of his head, "How about you go back to that slut of a girlfriend you've got, huh?" I do the same thing again, and then I suddenly feel a tugging at my back. I look back to see a police officer pulling me off of Cass. He was able to get me off of him and into cuffs. He sat me down on a nearby chair and helped Cass to his feet.

"Go to hell Ikari!" he stormed down the same path as Sam. The cop came back over to me and damn near picked me up out of my chair.

"Who the hell do you think you are? Assault is two years in prison, you know that right?"

"I THINK that I'm the commander of NERV, now either you put me down or I have you fired, got it?" his hands went from my shoulders to my wrist. He started to walk off with me until one of the nurses came out.

"Whoa! You can't arrest the commander!" at least someone had some kind of sense around here.

"Wait… he really is the commander?" his eyes went wide and he snapped the cuffs off as fast as he could, "I apologize… I just thought that… sorry…"

"Just leave…" I sit back down and hunch over in my seat, "How is she doing?"

"Well she'd be doing a lot better without you causing all of this commotion out here! And she's fine. Akagi needed to talk with you about something though," just then, Akagi comes out of the room.

"Okay, you can go back now. Make sure she stays stable," Akagi came over and sat down next to me, "Okay, I have good and bad news. The bad news is that the bullet punctured one of her ovaries. She'll have trouble getting pregnant again; we had to take it out. The good news is that she'll be just fine… well, I do have one other thing, but I don't know if it's good or bad news at this point…" she got a concerned look on her face, "Only her ovary was damaged… not her uterus… and nothing inside was damaged… Shinji, Asuka's pregnant…" those words hit me like a train. She's pregnant? How the hell did that happen? Sure, we had sex twice after our wedding, but I pulled out.

"But… I didn't…" she cut me off.

"Don't tell me you guys have been using the pullout technique! Didn't either of you pay attention in health? That doesn't always work!" she had an unexpected cheerful voice on, "So tell me… what are you feeling right now? About the baby," even I didn't know.

"I just don't know… I mean, we just lost Dietlinde… okay, what I think doesn't matter. How do you think Asuka will react to this?" even if it was her child, I think she'd subconsciously push it away.

"That's my main concern. I wouldn't tell her until right before she finds out on her own. If she found out that she was pregnant on her own, she might freak out. She needs some kind of support here. If I were you, I'd tell her tomorrow. She'll be awake by the end of the night tonight at around one. Until then, you can either wait here, or you can come with me to grab something to eat," she had a wide smile on and she held out her hand.

"I'm… I'd rather wait here…" why is it that people always wanted me to leave Asuka when she was in the hospital?

"Okay, come on big man," she took my hand and pulled me out of the chair, "You need something to eat. I could hear your stomach from inside the ER. Look, Asuka will be fine. They're operating on her right now, and all they're doing is taking out the bullet. She'll be done within the hour. But for now, I'm making you eat," she had her normal caring smile on. I just stood there staring at her, trying to dissect exactly what she thought about our new child. Was she happy? Was she angry? Was she disappointed? What? With a sigh, I give into her.

"Fine… but the minute that she's done I want to see her, awake or not. Okay?" with a nod, she begins to walk.

"So my father to b-…" a long, awkward pause, "Sorry…"

"Forget it…"

---

Cafeteria – Twenty Minutes Later

"So let me get this straight, you two went to SEELE, by yourselves trying to get back at them?" Akagi was starting to get pissed. After I told her exactly what happened, she started to fume, "Why the hell did you drag Asuka along with you, why did you make her go down your path!" I failed to tell her about Asuka damn near shooting me.

"I tried to get her home; I didn't want her to go! Do you think that I would really do that to her? You know just as well as I do that she won't change her mind once it's made up." I just didn't want to tell her about her threat.

"What could she have possibly done to you? Let me guess, she threatened to divorce you? Not likely!" even I would have known that that was a lie.

"No…"

"Then what!"

"She damn near shot me, okay? She put a gun to my head and threatened me with that…" I had an uneasy voice as I spoke the last part.

"Oh get real Shinji! She'd never do that! Even when she hated you after you got back from Germany, she STILL couldn't sum up the courage to do it!" that was true… but it was different.

"You didn't see what I saw. I think that Dietlinde's death is eating away at her. That wasn't Asuka that was holding the gun…" what if it really was affecting her that much?

"How is she doing mentally? You said 'eating away at her', what do you mean?" God I hope it doesn't affect her too much…

"I really can't tell… okay I think. I mean, she's hurting really bad, but I don't think she's going crazy if that's what you're getting at." She's way too strong for that. Hell, she's stronger than me and I wasn't going insane because of this.

"I'm not getting at anything; I'm just making sure that she'll be okay." Out of nowhere, another doctor walks up behind Ritsuko and whispered something in her ear, "What! You're kidding me!" the doctor nodded.

"We don't know what happened. Her body just didn't accept it, so it gave out," Akagi leaps up and runs off with the other doctor, leaving me behind. I followed not too long after them. I really didn't like how that sounded. 'It gave out' what was that supposed to mean? I eventually came to her ER and tried to follow Akagi inside.

"Shinji wait out here. You can't come in," her voice was firm, actually making me back off. My heart was pounding at this point. What is going on in there? I simply stood there staring at the doors for a few minutes until Akagi comes back out with closed eyes and tears running down her face.

"Ritsuko…?"

A/N- Cliffhanger! Is Asuka okay? Is she even alive? Find out in the next chapter; A Broken Heart Will Heal, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	91. A Broken Heart Will Heal

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Chapter 91: A Broken Heart Will Heal

A/N- This chapter was proof-read by Frost-Eva-04. Once again, thanks for the help.

"Shinji wait out here. You can't come in," her voice was firm, actually making me back off. My heart was pounding at this point. What is going on in there? I simply stood there staring at the doors for a few minutes until Akagi comes back out with closed eyes and tears running down her face.

"Ritsuko…?" without opening her eyes, she puts a hand on my shoulder.

"I'm going to need for you to stay calm…" I feel my heart sink to my stomach, "You can see her… but…" I push her aside and run into the ER to see Asuka lying on her stomach with closed eyes. I froze in the middle of the room staring at her pale face. All of the doctors had their heads turned away from me. I stare at Asuka's lifeless body for what seemed like hours. I fall to my knees crying into my hands. Akagi walks up behind me and lifts me up. "Whoa! What are you crying about? She's okay; it's just that the anesthesia wore off during the operation. Sorry if it came across that way…" I look her in the eyes.

"Well you came out of the ER crying… what was I supposed to think?" she gives me a sweet smile.

"I was crying because of how much pain she was in during the operation. We couldn't give her any more aesthesia, and seeing her like that hurt me. Sorry about that… she's awake, you can talk to her," I look back over at a smiling Asuka. She was still pale as ever, but seeing her eyes more then made up for it.

"Baby…" I walk over to her bedside and kneel to meet her face to face, "Crying just because of that…" I thought she was dead! How was I supposed to act?

"How do you feel?" she chuckled a little.

"Like crap… how about you?" I wasn't the one that just got shot!

"I'm fine, I was just worried about you… why did you take off like that?" all I asked of her was four hours, and yet she couldn't give me that. Because of her stubbornness, she was almost killed.

"I told you, I just couldn't wait. Knowing that that bastard was out there still alive was eating at me… and after all of that… I still have no idea who did it…" the way she put it nearly drove me into a rage. She was right, Dietlinde's killer is still out there, and he still lives.

"We'll get him eventually, I promise…" I close my eyes and walk back over to Akagi and whisper in her ear, "Get all of these people out of here… you leave too…" she smiles and does as I told her to.

"Okay everyone, great job, but let's leave the couple alone for awhile. Come on," she waves her hand in the air as she walks out. All of the doctors follow soon after her, leaving me and Asuka alone. I once again walk to her bedside and kneel next to her.

"Shinji?" I take her hand in mine and look her in the eyes with a serious face.

"Asuka… I need you to stay calm about this… promise me that you'll do that for me," she nods.

"Okay… what is it?" I take a deep sigh.

"When Akagi was doing to surgery… she found something…" Asuka gives me a worried look. I could feel her heart start to race.

"What's the matter with me? What did she find?" I don't know whether to smile right now or cry, I really don't know.

"Asuka… you're… pregnant…" she jumps a little at the comment.

"I'm… pregnant…? But…" her heart was racing and she was starting to breath heavily, "But you pulled out… you never…" she paused, "Did you? You did pull out, right?" her eyes were wide with either fear or surprise.

"Akagi said that that doesn't always work… you're pregnant…" she closed her eyes.

"I can't… I don't want to have another child… I don't want this!" she clenched my hand as she began to cry, "I don't want another baby! I won't do this!" she buried her face in her pillow and sobbed. Not knowing what to say, I put my hand on her back and try to comfort her.

"I'm sorry… you have to though…" slowly, she raised her head and looked at me with teary eyes.

"I want an abortion… I want to have an abortion Shinji…" her bottom lip was quivering under her tears, "I'm sorry… but I can't have this child…"

"We'll… talk about it later…" I know why she didn't want this child, and I felt the same way. It would be like we were just replacing Dietlinde, like we just go ahead and have another baby when one is gone. I didn't want to forget about Dietlinde, not by any means, but I wouldn't be able to deal with her having an abortion. She once again buries her face in the pillow and cries. I look over my shoulder to see Ritsuko looking at us with a concerned face.

---

The Next Day – Morning

I'm just now waking up from my sleep. I was still at Asuka's bedside, and still holding her hand. She fell asleep crying last night, and I barely got any sleep myself. How am I supposed to act right now? She's pregnant, that's for sure, and I just don't know what to do. I suddenly feel a touch on my shoulder and look up to see Akagi smiling down on me. She motioned me to follow her outside so I slowly release Asuka's hand and follow her. When we get outside, she losses the smile and glares at me.

"I thought I told you not to tell her yet! I told you that she wouldn't be ready yet, and yet you still disobeyed me and told her. Now look at her, she wants an abortion! I know damn well that you don't want that, but she's the mother, she can do what she wants. Either you talk her out of this, or you lose your child. It's your choice," she had anger in her eyes that I've never seen before. It actually made me take a small step back, "So you're just going to keep quiet? Say something!"

"Yes, I want this child, but Asuka obviously doesn't. I can't make her give birth, but I sure as hell can convince her to and I was determined to do just that.

"Oh Shinji…" she closed her eyes and shook her head, "You really think that it'll be that easy… if you think she was freaked out before, that was nothing. All I can say is good luck…" she patted me on the shoulder and walked off to another patient's room. With a sigh on my part, I go back into Asuka's room to see her awake.

"Why'd ya leave?" she had a half sarcastic, half begging voice.

"I just had to talk with Akagi about something," I take my seat next to her once more.

"Would that something have to do with me?" she had her sarcastic smile that I've seen hundreds of times before on.

"Actually… yeah…" the smile faded instantly.

"Would that something have to do with the baby?" ah crap…

"Yeah… Asuka, please don't get an abortion, I'm begging you," she put a finger on my lips.

"I thought about it for awhile… I won't get one if you don't want me to, but know that this child will grow up without a mother. I flat-out refuse to replace Dietlinde, but if you want to, go ahead," ouch…

"Whoa, hold on, you think I'm replacing Dietlinde?" to my surprise, she actually nodded, "Like hell I am!" I stand up and look down on her, "You know damn well how much I loved that child! Nothing will EVER replace her, but a new child is on the way, and I'm not saying to forget about Dietlinde, but both of us need to worry about this one! You always told Dietlinde that you didn't want her to grow up like you did, without a mother, but now look at you. You don't even want to claim responsibility for it!" she damn near stands up in anger, but she settles for being propped up on her forearms.

"Of course I am! I'm not saying that I won't be there, but I sure as hell won't be a mother to it! I will NOT simply move on from Dietlinde, she's the only other person that I've ever loved, and I won't let that go!" this was basically turning into a yelling contest.

"Dietlinde's dead!" that made both of our eyes go wide. I stood there staring down at Asuka for awhile before she makes another comment.

"Get out… screw this baby, I gave you a chance to have it, now just forget about it. Get out… now…" I take a step forward.

"Asuka… I'm sorry…" she slapped me across the face.

"No you're not! Don't even try and pull that sorry crap with me! You crossed the line right there Shinji, you went to damn far!" like I didn't know that!

"Okay…" I take a deep breath, "You're right, I shouldn't have said that. I will say this though, I don't want to forget about her, but we do need to move past it. Ritsuko's worried about your mental state, she thinks it's getting to you too much." I once again sit down and put a hand on her back, "I'm not by any means asking you to forget about her. I know I won't." I see tears form in her eyes as she relaxes back onto the bed.

"I just want her back…" God I hated to cry…

---

Same Place – Afternoon

Asuka has fallen back to sleep, and I was about to myself. I had my head resting on her upper back and I was holding her hand. Just as I was falling asleep, I hear the door swing open.

"Asuka! Are you okay?" there was the thirteen year old brat… I shot up my head and put my finger to my lips, telling him to quiet down, "Oh, sorry…" he whispered. I slowly get up and guide him out of the room, "Sorry, didn't know she was asleep."

"Don't worry about it, just keep it down. Did you need something?" he looks up at me with a fairly concerned face.

"Is she okay? I heard she got shot," this was the first sign of maturity he's ever shown to me. I had to admit, he actually gained some respect right there.

"Yeah, she's okay, she just needs some rest. Thanks for checking up on her, that was nice of you," he averted his stare to the floor.

"How are you two handling the whole Dietlinde thing…?"

"I'd… rather not talk about it right now…" how'd he even know about it? He must have over heard one of the NERV employees talking.

"Sorry… I just came to see how you two were doing," he once again looked up at me, "Okay, I'll talk with you later. We should start to hang out more, I haven't seen you much lately," apparently he didn't know about everything else.

"Maybe, but for now just let me go back, okay?" with a wave, he left. I walk back into Asuka's room and see her still asleep. Before I could sit down I feel a hand on my shoulder. I look back to see Akagi with a concerned face on. With a sigh I follow her outside.

"I heard you guys yelling from across the hall. Is everything okay?" I shake my head.

"No, not at all. She's willing to give birth, but she'd refusing to raise it." Akagi laughs a little, "What's so funny about that?"

"You have nothing to worry about Shinji. Remember how she reacted the first few days of being pregnant? She didn't want that one either. Give it a month or two, she'll come around. Once she sees her stomach start to grow, she'll grow attached to it. A mother just can't have birth without any emotional attachment. Trust me on this one, everything will be okay," she actually calmed me quite a bit right there.

"I really hope so… any word on SEELE?" kinda random, but I had the right to know.

"Yeah actually. Apparently Asuka did some serious damage to their work force. SEELE's trying to cover it up, but having some serious trouble with it. The families of the men are suing SEELE for all they're worth. Looks like you might actually bring down SEELE simply by them running out of profit!" the families…

"Oh… thanks…" not exactly what I wanted to hear, "Any idea when Asuka will be able to get out of that bed?" I had to change the subject; I didn't want to hear about what Asuka did.

"ADD much? Well actually…" I feel a tapping on my shoulder.

A/N- Ahhh… finally getting out of the action. About time. So, how'd you like this chapter? Do you think Asuka will hold to her word? Do you think Akagi is right? Let's hope so… read the next chapter; Makeup, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	92. Makeup

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Chapter 92: Makeup

A/N- This chapter was proof-read by Frost-Eva-04. You know the routine, thanks again!

Same Place

"ADD much? Well actually…" I feel a tapping on my shoulder, "Right now," I feel arms wrap around my neck and embrace me in a tight hug, "Just take it easy Asuka, you're obviously still healing." I turn and meet a smiling Asuka. She seems to be in a fairly good mood seeing as what happened a few hours ago.

"How'd you sleep?" she lost her smile and looked at me blankly.

"I got shot, I still have a bullet hole in my back, I had to sleep on my stomach and it feels like I just got hit by a train… I slept great!" she has a sarcastic smile on. Both Akagi and I were surprised at how she was acting. I give a sweet smile and hug her back, taking care to hurt her back.

"I take it you're feeling better?" Ritsuko had her arms crossed and she was smiling.

"Yeah, thanks…" she suddenly got a concerned look on her face.

"Are you okay?" Akagi lost her casual posture and began to look concerned.

"Where… I don't want to go back to my room… where can we stay…?" ah crap… she's finally in a good mood and this happens! She was right though, I doubt I'll ever take another step into that room.

"Oh… um… well we can assign you a new room…" talk about an awkward moment, "Shinji will be the one to make the decision though. You'll have to sign off on it," damn commander position…

"No problem. How exactly do I do that? Is there a certain paper that I sign or something?" I had to admit… I was really going to miss that place. Almost every one of my memories with Dietlinde laid rest in that room. Hell, most of my good memories with Asuka are in that room. So much love, so many memories, so much passion lies in that room. My first kiss with Asuka… the first time Asuka trusted me enough to let me touch her passionately… our honeymoon… sleeping with Dietlinde in my arms… conceiving our second child… God I was going to miss that room.

"I'll get all the papers together later; for now you two can just stay in room 305, it's been empty for months now. I… take it that you don't want anything from your old room aside from clothes… right?" this is an extremely touchy matter right now.

"Of course I do!" Asuka instantly shot out, making both me and Akagi jump, "Sorry… can someone get Dietlinde's things? I want her crib and stroller…" that was actually a surprise to me. After seeing inside that crib… God… I can't help but shudder when I think of it…

"Um… are you sure? The crib is… you know…" Ritsuko had a worried look on her face.

"Just strip the crib of the sheets and send the frame," I cut in, not wanting Asuka to answer.

"No… keep the sheets in a bag or something… don't throw them out…" Asuka was staring at the floor with a frown.

"Okay…" Akagi was obviously uncomfortable, and so was I. Why did she want to keep the sheets? I know I never want to see them again. With a sigh, Ritsuko took out her cell phone and dialed a number. She was soon talking with someone, "Yeah, it's me. Listen, I need you to go into Asuka Langley Souryu… I mean Asuka Langley Ikari's room," I see Asuka smile faintly, "and get the stroller and crib. Strip the crib of its sheets and put them in a bag, then drop them all off at room 305, got it?" I hear the other person say something, then Akagi hangs up the phone, "Okay, they'll be in there by tomorrow."

"Why so long?" Asuka instantly shot up.

"Because we have to decontaminate them all, we suspect that SEELE might have planted some kind of drug in them. Don't worry about it," it seemed kind of drastic to me, but whatever.

"Oh… thanks."

"No problem. Now, did you want to go to your new room? You should be well enough to leave the hospital." Asuka instantly smiled.

"YES!" she seemed overjoyed about this! She must really hate it in the hospital. Akagi chuckles a little bit and waves her hand as she walked, telling us to follow her.

"Come on, I'll get you the key," it's been awhile sense I've seen Asuka this happy, I like it. I wrap my arm around her shoulders and she rests her head on my shoulder.

"You know," she puts a hand on my chin, "You need a shave…" always with the shaving! It has been awhile though, I had to admit.

"Okay, I'll do that when we get back into our room," one problem though… no razor… "Hey Rits? Can you tell someone to grab all of our stuff out of the bathroom?" All we really needed was the toothbrushes and my razor, that's it. For some reason I doubt Asuka will need anything under the cupboards any time soon…

"Sure, I'll have them sent in a few hours." We finally come to a stop, "Okay, we're here," she opens up the door to show hundreds of keys on a rack, "Let's see… 300, 301, 302, 303, 304, here we go! 305!" she takes the keys off of the rack and hands them to me, "It's down the hall and to the right, just look at the numbers on the door." With a wave, me and Asuka walk down the hall in silence. When we finally get to our room, I open it up and walk inside. It looked exactly the same as our old one… but something was different… I just couldn't put my finger on it.

"I'll be right back," she walks away from me and walks into the bathroom. With a chuckle, I lay back onto the bed, "AAHHH!" I hear a screaming from Asuka. I leap up out of bed and rush into the bathroom to see her huddled in the corner.

"Are you okay?" she points to the bathtub. Reluctantly, I look inside.

"Is this all?" it was just a small rat! Asuka was afraid of rats?

"Get it out of here!" I couldn't help but chuckle. She was able to fight angels, sins, and take on all of SEELE, yet she's afraid of rats! I grab it by the tail and lift it up out of the tub.

"Wonder how this little guy got in here?" I held it out in front of my face and looked into its beady red eyes.

"I don't care! Throw it out the window or something!" with a sigh, I walk over to the window and open it.

"Good luck," I drop him outside and he quickly scurries off into the cold afternoon air. Just as I was closing the window I remember the morning that we found Dietlinde… it was cold in the room…

"Damn I hate those things!" I jet out of the room, "Hey, where are you going!"

"I'll be right back!" I race back to Akagi's office and see her sitting at her desk neck-high in paper work.

"Oh Shinji! Here, I have the-" I cut her off.

"Not now Rits. Has anyone done anything to our old room?"

"Um… well, aside from cleanup, no. They're keeping it in the same condition as that morning for inspection, why?" I race out of her office without a word and head for our old room. I didn't want to go back in there… I'm dreading it actually, but I had to. When I finally get there I jet inside and pause at the door way panting. I glance over at Dietlinde's crib… still bloody… I look over at our bed… still bloody… the only thing changed in here was the fact that they removed Dietlinde's remains. With uneasy legs I walk over to the window to find it open. The room felt exactly like that morning. I look over the window and instantly see a small blood spot on the window sill. I knew it… they came in through the window… but who was small enough to fit through there? I couldn't even fit through it and I wasn't even fully grown! The door swings open once again to reveal Akagi running in.

"Shinji! What are you doing in here!" I feel tears form in my eyes simply because I was in here.

"I… had to check on something… forget it…" with clenched fists I walk out of the room, leaving Akagi alone and confused. The walk back to our new room was a long one. Thoughts of that damn window kept crossing my mind. Who could fit through there without breaking the window? It had to either be a kid or a midget. Somehow I doubt that SEELE would hire a kid, but a midget was an unlikely candidate too. Before I enter our room, I wipe away the tears and try to regain my composure.

"Oh, you're back, where'd you go?" she was sitting on the bed, obviously waiting for me to come back.

"I just had to see Akagi about something, sorry for rushing out like that," I go over and sit down next to her.

"Don't worry about it…" she laid her head on my shoulder, "Listen… I thought about what you said about Dietlinde…" here it comes… "You're right… I don't think that we should forget about her, but we can't morn for the rest of our lives…" even though I knew damn well we both could.

"I'm glad you think that…" very dangerous ground right here. I wrap my arm around her, "So… what about the new baby?" I had to know what she thought about it now.

"I still don't want it, and I still refuse to raise it. I'm sorry, but I just won't do that," I should have seen that coming. Not knowing what to say, I keep quiet. After a few minutes, she leans up and looks at me with a smile, "Anyway, do you know what tomorrow is?" this was about the only time that I loved her sudden change of mood.

"Um… I don't know… what?" she wraps her arms around my neck and softly kisses me on the lips. "I like that, but I still don't know," she smirks.

"It's your birthday…" she once again kisses me softly.

"Really?" come to think of it, it was. I completely forgot about it… again, "So… is this my birthday gift or something?"

"You can think of it like that if you want," I will! "Seems kinda kidish though…" she once again kisses me softly. We really haven't kissed like this in a long time, it's always open mouth. Not that I was complaining, it was just kinda nice to have it like this, "This you can think of as a gift," she leans in once more and kisses me, this time deeply. I knew that the soft pecks wouldn't last for long.

---

Two Hours Later

A break from our hectic lives was a nice change of pace. We were simply watching some comedy show on TV. Asuka has changed out of her hospital gown and I finally got a shave. Asuka had her head resting on my shoulder. I haven't gotten a good relaxing sit-down in awhile, and of course, this didn't last long. A knocking at the door interrupted our rest.

"Coming!" Asuka got up before I could and answered the door. I simply watched TV and waited for her to come back, "Oh… hi…" she sounded fairly surprised. I look over my shoulder to see Sam and Cass standing in the door way. Not this again! I get up and walk to Asuka's side.

"Listen, I think we all have something to say here," Cass was staring at the floor beneath his feet. He had quite the bruise on his cheek, "Cass, I think you're the first here." Were they about to apologize? Looks like me and Asuka had to do the same… "Go ahead," Sam sounded like a mother!

"I'm… sorry for what I said. I didn't mean it, I was just upset…" he really was a child at heart. He never looked up as he said that.

"Forget about it… sorry for… well, you know," with a sarcastic smile I point at my cheek. After he looked up I put out my hand, "We okay?" he took it with a smile.

"Yeah, we're cool," he shook my hand firmly. After he let go he looked down at Sam.

"Listen, Sam… sorry about yesterday, I had no right to say that. I know that what I said wasn't true," her head popped up, surprised at what I said, "You just came to help, and I blew up at you. Really, I'm sorry," even Cass looked surprised.

"Um… it's… okay…" why was she so surprised at this? I was a royal jackass yesterday, and I had to make up for it. After a few seconds of silence, Cass nudged Sam, "Oh! Yeah… Asuka?" Asuka crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow, "I'm… sorry for what I said… I shouldn't have ruined your wedding day like that…" she had a slight shade of red on her cheeks.

"Good, just don't let it happen again," I nudge Asuka in the arm and glare at her, "I'm sorry to…" I nudge her again, "And I'm sorry for hitting you Cass," I nudge her again, "What!"

"Nothing, I just like messin' with ya!" she smirked and playfully smacked my shoulder.

"Asshole…" we all got a good laugh out of this.

"So… we're all okay? No grudges? No anger?" Cass was double checking to make sure he doesn't get hit again!

"No, don't worry, we won't kill each other." Of course Asuka had to make that remark, "You guys wanna come in?" Sam smiled.

"No, actually we had something in mind." Now Cass was smiling.

"I'm almost afraid to ask… but what is it?" Asuka still had her raised eyebrow.

"Wanna go on a double date like before? We had so much fun last time, I thought we could do it again," Sam had a slight shade of pink on her cheeks. Any talk of dating always did that to her.

"I don't know…" Asuka seemed to contemplate this for a second, "Not too sure that I wanna keep dating Shinji…" WHAT! "How about we trade boyfriends for awhile?" she finally broke a smirk I wasn't exactly her boyfriend…

"Oh ha ha Asuka. I'm not your boyfriend, remember? We're married!" Sam chuckled.

"Oh yeah… never mind then…" she smirked at me, "I'm just messin with ya! Yeah, that sounds good to me. What about you Shinji?" sure as hell better be kidding around!

"Yeah, that sounds good… but what about your back? Will you be okay?" she pokes my chest with a sarcastic smile.

"And what about your heart, huh? Forget about it, I'll be fine," well… my heart attacks are just a little different then her BULLET WOUND!

"So… how about tomorrow night?" Cass took Sam's hand in his with a smile as he said that.

"Yeah, that's cool with us," Asuka basically answered for me.

"Good. It'll be nice to finally have a date with my Cass!" Cass instantly went red!

"So… you guys wanna come in now?" Asuka once again offered.

"Sure, why not. Shinji can cook for us!" with a laugh Sam and Cass walk in… wait… why did I have to cook?

A/N- Ahhh… once again entering mushy romance… back to normal… I like it! So yeah. Yet another double date is upon us. Come to think of it, this is only Cass and Sam's second date… gotta make it special! So, how will the date go over? That's about the only question there is, so find out what happens in the next chapter; First Time, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	93. First Time

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Chapter 93: First Time

A/N- This chapter was proof-read by Frost-Eva-04. Thanks for the help!

Asuka's Room – That Night – 12:00 AM

"So you're telling me that she slept with him after that? How cute!" they were still here, and after a couple hours, we had drifted over many topics of conversation; the current topic being Dietlinde. For some reason Asuka was actually okay with talking about it. I saw her rub her eyes a few times, obviously wiping away oncoming tears, but aside from that she's fine. She's even smiling right now. I know that I was extremely uncomfortable with this; it just brought back too many memories.

Asuka and I were sitting on the sofa while Sam and Cass laid on the floor looking up at us. It was nice to talk with friends again; none of us have had that in a long time.

"Yeah, you should have seen those two. She was all curled up on his chest under the blankets. Actually…" she got up and went over to her newly packed closet. She pulled out a small box and pulled out a picture, "Here, I got a picture of the two right here!" she handed Cass the picture.

"You took a picture of us?" I take the picture from Cass and look at it. She did… God she looked so cute with me… I feel tears form in my eyes as I stare at the captured moment. I feel Asuka sit next to me and put an arm around my shoulders. She wipes away one tear with her thumb and smiles at me.

"Um… should we leave?" Sam asked with an uneasy voice. In the corner of my eye I see Asuka nod slightly.

"Yeah, we should get going. It's getting late," Cass grabbed Sam's hand guided her out of our room.

"You okay Shinji?" Asuka sounded concerned for once.

"No… I miss her so much…" I feel the tears start to flow more freely. Asuka took the picture from me and set it on the table next to the sofa. I haven't had a chance to let all of this out yet, I've been trying to hard to be the strong one. Asuka hug me and I pull her tight, crying into her shoulder.

"Just let it out… I'm here…" and I did. I literally sobbed into her shirt as I held her. Everything came out. My sadness, my anger, my morning, I even cried her name a few times. Nothing was left emotionally.

"She was my daughter! I just want her back!" I balled into her shoulder, "I loved her so much…" Asuka didn't say a word, she just listened to me sobbing, all the while trying to comfort me, "She was our child… she was formed from you and me… how can she just be gone? We were supposed to raise her! She was supposed to grow up seeing us as her parents!" I feel Asuka shiver under my words, "AHH!" I let out a long yell into her shirt. Asuka was there for me the entire time. That night I cried like a child, and she helped me the whole way through it.

---

Asuka's Room – Morning – 8:00 AM

I wake up with dried tears on my face. I notice almost right away that my head was resting on Asuka's lap with her hand on my chest. I must have cried myself to sleep. Truthfully, I don't remember much after the yell; it was just one big blur. Her head was leaned back onto the back of the sofa and she was softly snoring. I look down to see my body covered by a large white blanket. She really did take care of me last night, even with me acting like a child. With a smile I get up and slowly lower her to the sofa so that she was lying down. I covered her up with the same blanket I had and walked into the bathroom. I really need a shower; it's been what, four days now? Even I could tell that I reeked. With a sigh I turn on the water and walk into the hot water.

I really needed last night; I needed to let out all of those unfelt emotions. Asuka had that chance, up until last night; I didn't, so when it finally came out, it came out full force. I liked it though. Sure, it felt horrible to not only feel all of that but to also make Asuka go through that, but it felt great to finally get it off my chest. Knowing that Asuka would help me through something like that also was a big up. She would always be the one to cry in my arms, but for only the second time it was me doing to crying.

After feeling what she has been feeling for two days now, I couldn't help but relate to how she felt about the new baby. I can see how she thought we'd be replacing Dietlinde. Even though I still didn't want her to get an abortion, I had to admit, the thought did cross my mind. I shook it off though. I refuse to kill a human simply because I didn't wear a condom. I will raise this child, and I will protect it with my life. Eventually, I force myself to turn off the water – I was in there for a good twenty minutes – and get out. I notice that – as always – I forgot to grab clothes. I just wrap a towel around my waist and walk out to meet Asuka holding a pair of jeans and a shirt smiling.

"How was your shower?" she handed me the clothing with a smile.

"Good, thanks…" I walk back into the bathroom and get dressed as quickly as I could, not wanting to leave her alone. I walk back out to see her sitting on the sofa waiting for me. I go over and sit next to her and put an arm around her shoulders, "Listen… I'm sorry about last night… but thanks for being there for me," she smiles and softly kisses me on the cheek.

"You're always there for me, so think of it as me paying you back. How do you feel now though?" there was my caring Asuka.

"Pretty good… I just had to get that out…" we sit there basking in each other's warmth for awhile before we hear a light creaking sound. I start to get up but I was quickly thrown down by the sofa folding up and pinning both of us in between the cousins. "Where… have I seen this before…?"

"Huh… wonder why that happened…" we both push down the seat and get away from the sofa, "Shinji… why does that seem familiar?" I felt the same way!

"I don't know…" we both stood there staring at the sofa until it finally slams shut again, "So… you hungry?" that feeling was probably just a coincidence.

"Um… sure…" with a raised eyebrow she walks over to the table and sits down, "Want me to make it?" I put a hand in the air as I grad a pan.

"No, its okay, thanks. What do you want? Pancakes sound good?" that was pretty stupid to say…

"Anything eatable will do, thanks," she had a sarcastic voice on. The one thing I did like about NERV is the fact that they always stocked their fridges full of food and supplies. I grab the pancake mix and begin to throw the quick breakfast together, "While you do that I'm going to take a shower, you better not have used up all the hot water!" just like Asuka.

"Don't worry about it, I didn't," she entered the bathroom with a sarcastic smile. I couldn't help but think of the fact that I was just in there for twenty minutes with damn near boiling water… ah crap! Before I could stop her from getting in I hear the shower start. I'm in deep crap now! Trying to act casual, I go back to the stove. The shower kept on going. No yelling, nothing. She didn't even make a sound. I thank my lucky stars that NERV had enough hot water! By the time I was setting the table with the breakfast, she was walking out of the bathroom with a towel around her torso.

"You liar, you did use up all the hot water. You're lucky I'm not in the mood to kick your ass," she was smirking as she walked over to the closet.

"Why thank you so much for deciding against it, I've grown quite fond of my ass," I actually heard her laugh.

"Yeah well… so have I…" she muttered under her breath, "Now turn around for a sec, I need to get dressed," like I haven't seen her naked before. I did as I was told and I heard her putting on clothes, "Okay, you can look now," I turn back around to see her in short-shorts and a tight shirt.

"Always with the teasers, huh?"

"How is this…" she waves her hands by herself "a teaser? What is there left to tease to you?" she had emphasis in her voice on that last part.

"True… but still," she chuckles as she sat down and began to eat.

"So… happy birthday…" oh yeah! Today's my birthday! Seventeen!

"Oh, thanks. Looks like the gift will be the date tonight, huh?" this is my first birthday as a married man, and I kinda like it! With a smile, she walks over to me and whispers in my ear.

"Keep guessing…" as she walked to the table she lightly ran her fingers across my face.

"Okay, I think I got it…" I was trying so hard not to make a smartass remark… "You got me a puppy, huh?" and apparently I didn't try hard enough.

"Smartass…" she began to eat her out of the box breakfast. With a smile, I do the same, "Oh, by the way, have you talked to Akagi about your hand yet?" she took another bite of food.

"Yeah, before the wedding, but she never said what she'd do for long term. As you know we just slapped a glove on it for the wedding," I really did want this thing gone. It was starting to get on my nerves.

"Okay, just curious…" there was always an awkward silence at breakfast from my experience. When she was done she stood up and stretched her arms above her head, "Well, come on, we need to go to the mall," mall?

"Why?" she looked at me like I was stupid. Was I missing something here?

"Why? Because I need a new dress! You've seen all of my dresses, and I need to get something new!" then why did she need me? Like I didn't know the answer to that!

"Oh… okay… you know, you look beautiful in the dresses you have," she chuckles.

"I know that, but it's your birthday, I need to look nice for it!" she didn't need a dress to look nice… hell, she didn't need anything!

"If you want to. Let me just grab my keys and-" she put a finger on my lips.

"Ah! No, you're not driving; you're just going to relax." She grabbed my keys off of the table, "You don't mind if I drive your car, right?"

"Yes! I mean, no… I mean, if you want…" Asuka with that much power is just scary.

"Why thank you so much!" she gave me a sweet smile and grabbed my wrist, dragging me all the way to the car. This is going to be a long, LONG day…

---

Mall – Just Arriving

I pry my hand from the arm rest and try to loosen up my tensed muscles.

"Man this thing has power!" after a few seconds she leaned over to me and put her elbows on my lap, resting her head on her hands as she did, "Oh Shinji…" she had a seductive voice on, "Can you use your commander position to get me one of these? Please?" now who didn't see that coming?

"If I do, will you stop driving mine?" that's all I really wanted!

"Of course my handsome man!" she sure knew how to play me. With a peck on the cheek she gets out of the car. I'm about to buy a friggen sports car for her, and all I get is a peck? Damn it… of course it's better then nothing. I'll take it! Still calming down from her driving I get out of the car and follow her to the mall entrance. I can feel my wallet shrinking already! She immediately drags me into a store with a few dresses in the window, "Okay, you just wait right here and I'll put on a little show for you, okay?" she sat me down in a chair in front of the dressing rooms. She went off into the store and after a few minutes came back with an arm full of dresses.

"All of those?" she must have had at least fifteen!

"Well duh! I have to find the perfect one! You just wait out here for me…" she grabbed one of the keys and walked into the dressing room. I wasn't complaining about the amount of dresses, I just knew that the 'show' was going to last quite awhile. After a few minutes of waiting she comes back out with a black dress on, "So, how's this one?" it was a strapless plain black dress. Not too exciting.

"Eh… it's just not you. I don't really like black on you," except from our last vacation night… that black was okay…

"Yeah, that's what I thought. I'll be right back," she walked back into the dressing room and came out a few minutes later wearing the same dress… only a light shade of pink… no…

"How about no?" we both say in unison.

"I'll be right back… no more pink… ever…" I hear her mumble as she walked off. She came back out a few minutes later, this time with a red dress, "How about this one?" Not bad, I had to admit. It had spaghetti straps and a V-cut collar, as always. It went down to her ankles, and past the hips it fit fairly loose… but before the hips… wow. It was like a second skin. How'd she even get into that thing? It also had a long slit down the right side that went from the bottom to her upper thigh.

"Wow…" I mumble like an idiot.

"I take that as a yes?" still surprised at just how amazing she looked, I simply nod, "Hello? Earth to Shinji! Are you even paying attention?" she waved her hand in front of my face.

"Oh… yeah… sorry… you look great… get that one…" she gives me a seductive smile and whispers in my ear.

"I was going for sexy. Did it work?" once again, I nod, "Good," she leaned back up and went back to the dressing room. After a few minutes she comes back out wearing her old clothes and holding the dress in her arms.

"Where are the other ones?" She quickly grabbed my arm and guided me over to the check-out.

"Shut up… I don't remember where I got them, so I left them in there, just keep quiet," just like Asuka. With a sigh I take out my wallet, "Whoa! What are you doing? I'm paying for this!" Asuka… paying? This had to be a dream!

"Are you sure? I'd be happy to get it for you," she shakes her head as she reaches into her back pocket.

"Don't worry about it. It's your birthday, you shouldn't have to spend money," and yet we're going on a date tonight. Not that I cared, she was just contradicting herself. She bought the dress – 20000 Yen by the way – and we walked back out to the car, "Thanks for coming with me," I mentally kick myself for not taking the keys from her as she climbs into the drivers side.

"Don't worry about it," she puts the dress in my lap and begins to speed off. As always, we were back at NERV within a few minutes on a drive that would normally take an hour. I may not like the way she drives, but it sure was faster!

---

Asuka's Room – That Night – 8:00 PM

A/N- Sorry for the time jump, but I couldn't think of anything else!

"Okay, go get Sam and tell her to come here. We'll get dressed in here and you get dressed in their room, okay?" why couldn't I get dressed with them? I wanted to say that so bad, just to see how she'd react, but I restrained myself.

"Okay, I'll send her down. Just let me grab my tux," I take it out of the closet and instantly notice something… it's tiny! "Um… Asuka? We got a problem…" what's new?

"What is it this time?"

"My tux… it's too small…" she grabs it from me and holds it up to my torso.

"Damn Shinji! How much did you grow!" well, it has been nearly a year sense I last wore it.

"It's okay; I'll just wear my commander uniform. Is that okay?" I'd rather wear that anyway. It makes me feel powerful, which was fairly rare these days. At the wedding I actually felt important, like I meant something.

"Sure, why not? I think you look handsome in it!" wasn't she flirtatious today? Trying to look sexy for me, speaking in that seductive voice, and now calling me handsome! I like this!

"Okay, I'll send Sam over and I'll grab it from Akagi," with a wave I head for Sam's room… and notice that it was right next to ours. No wonder they knew where to go to find us! I knock on the door and was greeted with a smiling Sam.

"Oh, hey Shinji," what the hell? How did she…? "You need something?"

"Um… yeah… Asuka told me to send you down to her room. I'm going to be getting changed in here and you'll get changed in there," she raised an eyebrow.

"But… why? You two are married and me and Cass… well… I can't exactly look at his body, and if he looks at me, hey, if he wants to!" I hear Cass fall down in the background.

"I really have no idea. Ask her. In the meantime I need to go grab my uniform from Akagi," before she could respond I walk to Ritsuko's office. As always, she was neck deep in paperwork.

"Oh, hey Shinji. You need something?" even under all that paper work she still has a cheery voice on.

"Sorry, but do you have the commander uniform? I need it for tonight," she cocked her head in confusion, "We have a date tonight. Sam and Cass are going too," she instantly smiled.

"Really; so Asuka is finally feeling better about Dietlinde?" yeah, she was past it more or less, I was the one left in morning.

"Yeah, I think." With a smile she gets up and walks over to a door on the other side of the office.

"You know, it got pretty wrinkled last time I let you use it, but you have an excuse for that, right?" she had a smirk on.

"Um… y-yeah… I guess…" we both knew the meaning behind her comment. She handed me the dark green uniform with a smile.

"Just go ahead and keep it this time, and try not to hurt Asuka's back, okay?" I wasn't even planning on us having sex.

"Um… o-okay…" as I walk out of the room I hear Ritsuko say one last thing.

"Happy birthday!"

---

Asuka's Room – A Few Minutes Later

"She said what!" I just got done telling Asuka about what Sam said about changing, "I was only doing that for her! I thought that she wouldn't want him to see her!" hell, so did I.

"Yeah, apparently not. So… what? Do I get dressed in here or what?" she just shrugs.

"I don't care. We're married now, it doesn't matter to me. Not much either of us can look at, is there?" she was right. We've already seen everything! Keeping her words in mind, I set the uniform down on the bed and take off my shirt, "Whoa…" I heard her mumble in the background. I turn around to see her staring at my torso with an open jaw.

"You okay?" what was she staring at?

"Damn Shinji… you got some serious scars on you," what's new?

"Oh… yeah, I guess. Well, you were there for all of them. This one was from when Cass beat me up," I point to the long scar lining my shoulder blade, "These are from when Envy attacked," I point to the scars on my right palm and upper arm, "These are from bullets when I followed you that one time," I point to the bullet wound on my stomach and shoulder, "And all of these are from Karsten… am I missing any here?" I actually had a list!

"I just never really noticed it before… I gotta admit it makes you look tough!" yeah, like I was tough! Me of all people! "And a little hot…" hello! I love you scars!

"Um… yeah…" I was never good when it came to taking compliments. With a blush I throw on my jacket and then the pants. I was completely dressed within a couple of minutes, "So, you ready yet?" I hadn't turned around sense I started, so I really had no idea if Asuka was done or not.

"Yeah, just getting my shoes on," I mentally yelled at myself for missing the show. I turn around and see her putting on a pair of high heeled shoes. When she stood up… wow… she was actually able to look me strait in the eye! It seemed really weird to have her this tall.

"Asuka? How many inches are those things?" they were a pair of ruby-red shoes that were basically all open aside from a few straps that crossed over her foot. They had a spike heel.

"Three. Why?" how is she even standing!

"Um… just curious…" I hold out my hand in front of her, "Is my lady ready to go?" she smiles as she took my hand.

"She is," we walk out of the room hand in hand and knock on Sam and Cass's door in unison.

"Come in!" we walk in to see a beat red Cass laying on the bed and Sam with a smile on, "Oh, hey guys. You ready to go?" Asuka nudged my shoulder and whispered in my ear.

"How'd she know it was us?"

"Because I could smell your perfume," how… damn it I hate when she does that.

"So, looks like Cass got more then he could handle, huh?" he let out a soft moan at Asuka's comment. I walk over to Cass and whisper in his ear.

"Just wait until your first time," I casually walk back to Asuka's side, leaving him to have a heart attack. I see Sam blushing quite a bit. She must have heard me, "Well! Let's get going!" Sam grabs Cass's hand and basically drags him out of the room.

"Cass! Use your feet!" she was using her entire body to pull him down the hall.

"Sam? Need some help?" Asuka offered a hand… or so I thought.

"Please!" with a smile Asuka walks over to Cass and whispers in his ear. He instantly pops up and begins to walk on his own, still blushing, "What did you just tell him?" Sam didn't know?

"Oh, you didn't hear?" she shook her head, "Well never mind then. We'll have to take my van," she reaches into my back pocket and pulls out a pair of keys, "Here Shinji, you drive," when did she do that?

"Asuka, when did you…" she put a finger to my lips.

"Shhhh… some secrets are better left unknown…" no, that wasn't creepy at all. When we finally get the van, Sam and Cass sit in the back while Asuka and I sit in the front.

"S-So… where a-are we g-going…?" Cass finally spoke, but it was all in stutter.

"Calm down Cass, so you saw more then enough of Sam, so what? Get over it!" oh yeah, Asuka was helping!

"Um… we're going to a restaurant called-" Asuka put her finger on my lips, then one to hers. I guess she wanted to keep it surprise, "Never mind…" I saw Sam smile in the rear view mirror. Why was she smiling?

"So Shinji, I heard that it was your birthday," Sam leans up in the middle of me and Asuka and turns her head towards me, "Tell me, what did Asuka get you?" she had a smirk on, "Bet it was something special…" Asuka instantly blushed.

"Shut up Sam!" The whole van – including Cass – got a good laugh from that.

"I'm just messin' with ya!" Sam put a hand on Asuka's shoulder, "More or less…"

---

Just Arriving

"This… is where we're eating?" Cass looked up at the neon sign that read _Le Peroquet_.

"Yep, it's a French restaurant that I saw awhile back. Hope you all like it!" Asuka told me about this place a few weeks ago, and we just haven't had a chance to come here yet.

"I hope it's not too expensive…" Sam had a concerned look on her face and frankly, so did I.

"Don't worry about it! Shinji, you got your ID card on you?" I saw where this was going… and I like it…

"Um… yeah…" I pull out my wallet and take out my recently updated ID card. Akagi gave me the commander one before my wedding. It was just like my old one, just laced in gold. She pulls it from my hands and scans over it for a few seconds.

"THERE! Look, right there in fine print at the bottom, 'Exempt from all charges in Tokyo-3', you're welcome Shinji!" with a smug face she hands me back the card. I look for myself… she was right… score!

"Aw! Are you serious? Wait… why do you get that?" Sam didn't know about me being commander?

"Yeah, why don't I have that?" I look back to see Cass looking over his ID.

"You don't know? Shinji took Gendo's place as commander. He's head of NERV now," both Sam and Cass went wide eyed, "That's right! I'm married to the commander!" looks like Asuka has a new bragging right.

"So… if you think about it… he's in charge of us…" Cass had an interesting thought for once.

"Yeah, I guess so…" Asuka looked back at Cass, then at me with a smirk, "So Shinji… why don't you give me an order, huh?" she had her normal seductive voice on. I instantly went red.

"WOOO!" Cass howled from the back. With a smirk, Asuka climbs out of the van, the rest of us follow soon after. As we enter the large building, we were rushed with the smell of delicious food.

"Wow…" I heard Sam mutter from the back. She of all people should be enjoying this!

"How may I help the… young adults…" the waiter had a bit of sarcasm in his voice, "Or are you here to simply gawk at the food?"

"Well first off, you can HELP us by being a little more respectful. And two, we are paying customers!" there goes Asuka again… she reached into my pocket and pulled out my ID, "See this? He is the commander of NERV, and he can have you fired with a simple snap of his fingers!" even though that was true, I'd never do that.

"Oh! I'm so sorry; let me show you to your table. Come with me," frantically, he grabbed four menus and led us to a window seat, "I'll be right back to take your orders, okay?" he rushed back off in a hurry.

"Wow… now that's control…" Cass stared at the jogging man.

"Tell me about it…"

---

Same Place – 10:00 PM

We were just walking out of the restaurant as it was closing. The meal was… okay. Nothing special, I mean it was good, but nothing I'd go out of my way for. Asuka, Sam and Cass felt the same way. As we got into the van, Cass let out his smartass remark for the night.

"Man, I can't believe how that guy reacted when he saw the fine print on your ID! He was damn near turning red!" and there it is.

"Yeah, I kinda feel bad about that. We must have cost that restaurant 50000 Yen…" Asuka slaps me on the shoulder.

"So what? We've saved the world enough times to earn a free meal," while that was true, I still couldn't help but feel bad. I begin to drive away from the parking lot and head for NERV.

"Um… I know that this might be a bad time to ask… but why did you cry last night when you looked at Dietlinde's picture?" God damn it… they didn't know?

"Not now Cass," Asuka had a warning voice on.

"No seriously. And where is the little cutie by the way?" please make him stop…

"I said NOT NOW," Asuka was really trying to make him stop. Cass leans up in between us and looks at me.

"Oh come on; just tell me where she is! I wanna hear about the little cutie!" I quickly swerve into the emergency lane and cover my face, trying to hide the tears, "Whoa! What was that about?" Asuka reaches back and slaps him.

"Drop it!" her voice was firm and harsh. She came back to the front seat and put an arm around me. Damn it… here I go again… this time in front of them! I really couldn't a hold of myself, the tears just flowed harder, "Its okay…" she whispered in my ear, "I'm here…" she tried to calm me down, but it was far from working.

"Oh God…" I mutter over my tears. With a kiss on the check she gets out of the van and walks over to the driver's side, guiding me out of the van afterwards. She guided me over to the side road and made me look her in the eyes.

"Shinji, I'm sorry, but you're going to have to calm down," I see a single tear form in her eye, "We'll work through this when we get home, but for now just get back in the van and I'll drive us home. So I need you to hold back the tears for just a little bit, okay?" like I was going to be able to do that. I simply nod and she guides me back to the van, this time on the passenger side. In silence, she begins to drive off.

A/N- So yeah, the whole 'Dietlinde's dead' thing isn't over yet between the two pilots. Hopefully Shinji will be able to work through this without too much trouble. How do you think he will do that exactly? Will Asuka begin the same thing over again? Will they find out who Dietlinde's killer is? Find out in the next chapter; Findings, until then, keep on keepin' on!

A/A/N- 300 pages! YES! I have been counting down the pages until I finally reached the 300 page marker. Sadly, I don't think that there will be a 400 page marker…


	94. Findings

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Chapter 94: Findings

Asuka's Room – The Next Morning – 10:00 AM

Again… I did it again… I promised myself that I wouldn't cry like that again, and yet here I am, once more, with Asuka in tears. I can't believe I put her through that twice already. I was supposed to be the one that was strong through all of this, I wasn't supposed to let her see me cry. I'm not even crying with her, I'm balling. She took care of me though, just as she did the previous night. We were in her bed, my face buried in the crook of her neck, with dried tears still on my face. Not wanting to be in that helpless position, I get out of bed and head for the shower.

I didn't even wash when I was in there, I just let the warm water beat against my back. I just tried to relax and – for once – think things through. I had to prevent myself from doing that again. I mean, it was okay to shed a few tears here and there, but to sob every night is just too much. I had to stop it, but I wasn't about to forget about Dietlinde to stop the tears. See, there in lies the problem. I'm completely okay with me thinking about her, but it's when OTHERS speak of her. Asuka really isn't included in the 'others' category, mainly because we could talk about her without any problem. I wanted people to just stop talking about her, to make my pain go away, but at the same time I didn't want her to be forgotten by others. I know that it sounds corny, but I wanted her memory to live on in people's mind. There was no way around it, I just had to get over it.

Feeling a certain sense of emptiness, I crawl out of the shower and get dressed. When I walk back into the main room I see that Asuka is still asleep on the bed. How long did I keep her up last night? One thing that did catch my eye was that all of Dietlinde's things were in our room… how'd they get in here? I walk up to the crib – now stripped down to the frame – and find a small note. 'Shinji and Asuka, sorry it took so long, but we had some problems. Don't worry about it. Sorry for coming in when you two were asleep, but I didn't have a place to drop them off. I just used the master key to get in. Again, sorry for the intrusion. Ritsuko Akagi' I felt my heart sink. If she was able to get in so easily, then wouldn't Dietlinde's killer be able to do the same? Great, now I had two points of possible entry; one through the window and one with the door. In my opinion, the window is just too unlikely for someone to fit through; the blood was probably just a false lead that the killer set up. So to get the master key, one would have to either be God himself, or be an employee of NERV… he was in here.

"Shinji? What are you doing up?" I hear Asuka prop herself up in bed, "Oh, her stuff is here…" she sounded disappointed and happy at the same time, "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine… sorry for last night… I really didn't want that to happen, but I-" she cut me off.

"Why are you apologizing? So you cried a little, big whop. Did you not see me a few days ago? No, I'm not over it, but I was just able to get it out. You on the other hand didn't. Don't worry about it, just know that if you ever need someone to lean on, I'm here," hearing that from her actually made me smile. That was the first time she's ever said that. I walk over to her and hug her tight.

"Thank you Asuka…" she was obviously surprised, but she soon embraced it.

"Am I interrupting the two lovers?" I let go of Asuka and look at the door. Gahiji was leaned up against the doorway with a smile.

"How'd you get in here?" Asuka instantly walked over to him and lifted him up by his shirt collar. She was basically a giant compared to him, so it made for a pretty funny sight, "You have five seconds to answer before I break that little neck of yours… four… three…"

"Whoa! Asuka, calm down! I just used the master key! Sorry if you didn't want me in here!" she set him down and stared down at him. I jet over to him, accidentally pushing Asuka back and grab his shoulders, "Why the hell am I getting beat on today!"

"Gahiji, listen to me, where did you get that key? This is important, please don't lie," he raised an eyebrow.

"And why should I tell you?" his attitude set me off. I grab his collar and while he was in the air, I slam him against the wall.

"This is NOT the time to fuck with me! I swear to God I'll beat the living crap out of you if you don't tell me!" he was wide eyed at what just happened. Out of surprise and shock, he kept quiet, "Tell me!" he finally spoke up.

"Fine… I got it from the storage room and made a copy. Happy now?" I bring him back and once again slam him to the wall.

"Drop the attitude! How many did you make?" he held up two fingers in front of me.

"I only made two. One for me, and one for backup in case I lost it."

"Give me the other key!" I let him down, "Where is it?" he waves me over to his room.

"I got it right here. I kept it under my bed so no one would find it," he lifted up his mattress and let out a gasp, "Damnit! Someone stole it! It took me forever to find that thing!" he reached into his pocket and pulled the other one out, "At least I still have this one!" I immediately punch him across the face, sending him falling to the ground.

"Do you have any fucking idea what you've done!" while he was on the floor – still stunned – he shook his head, "Not only did you put everyone at NERV in danger, but you killed my daughter! What the fuck were you thinking!" I kick him in the ribs, "You killed her! This is all your fault!" I kick him again, making him scream through the room, "I had to listen to her die, I woke up with her fucking head in my bed, and she was butchered all because of you!" I go to kick him one more time, but I feel a pair of arms pulling me back.

"Whoa! Shinji, calm down! What happened?" Asuka was pulling me away from Gahiji.

"He did this! Dietlinde's dead because of HIM!" I struggle against her, but soon fall to my knees, "That fucking child killed my daughter…" I hear Asuka gasp.

"I didn't do anything!" I lung at him and grab his throat.

"What the hell did you just say! You gave SEELE all they needed! If it wasn't for your fucking mischievous attitude, she'd be alive right now!" he grabs my arm and tries to pull me off. Asuka once again pulls me off of him.

"Just come on…" she guides me out of the room. She was obviously crying, I didn't see her, but her voice was uneasy. She eventually took me to Akagi's office.

"Oh, hey gu-… are you two alright?" she got up out of her seat and walked over to us, "What's wrong?"

"Change all the locks in NERV as soon as possible…" Asuka stared at the ground. Her bangs hid her tears from showing, "Keep the master key with you at all times when you do… don't let this happen again…" Ritsuko hugs both of us at the same time.

"Just tell me what's going on…" she whispered.

"Gahiji made a copy of the master key… one got out… that's how SEELE got into our room…" Asuka finally let her tears run more freely.

"He did what!" she stormed out of the room and came back a few seconds later holding Gahiji by the arm, "Tell me what you did!" he just shrugged with that smug look.

"All I did was make a copy of a key. These two babies started to cry about it," Akagi grabs him by the shoulders.

"Their daughter was killed because SEELE got into their room. You gave them the key… you killed her!" at first, he stood still in shock, then he shrugged again, "Do you even see what you did?"

"Of course I do, and I'm sorry about it, but she was what, two months old? She didn't exactly have much to live for," I tackle him to the ground, "Oh come on, how much could you have possibly 'bonded' with her? So your baby died, so what? Just have another one. Same thing," I punch him across the face.

"I'm sick of your fucking attitude!" Ritsuko grabbed onto my shirt and tried to pull me off, "Akagi! Don't touch me!" she continued to tug at me, "Did you hear me? That's an order!" she let go with a gasp. That was the first time I've used my commander position for power, "Give me one reason I shouldn't have you killed for betrayal of a government organization!" and I was able to do that. A crime like that was punishable by death.

"I'm a pilot and so are you! You can't do crap!" I punch him again.

"Like hell I can't! I'm the commander of NERV, I can do whatever the hell I want!" I grab his shirt once more and bring him to his feet, then slamming him against the wall as hard as I could.

"Was that supposed to hurt?" he had that smirk on. Before my brain could register, he grabbed my wrist and twisted, making me let go of him. He then kicked me in the stomach, sending my flying onto the floor, "Hello? Did you forget? I know how to fight!" he put his hands in his pockets and began to walk out of the room.

"Get your ass back here!" I get to my feet. Asuka and Akagi were close together as they stared at all of this. He stopped and sighed.

"Are you seriously going to make me kick your ass?" I had a good foot and a half on this kid! Like he could do that!

"I said get back here!" he rolled his eyes and began to walk towards me, then stopped a few feet from me.

"God, who would have thought you'd be so whiny about this. Fine, sense you seem soooo upset about your brat's death, I'll tell you something…" he took a long pause, "I'm the one, okay? I killed her, my bad," he had a sarcastic voice on.

"You'd better be fucking kidding!" I charge at him with a punch, but he simply side steps and doges it.

"You want a bedtime story? Fine. Yes, I was sent here by SEELE, and no, I'm not a pilot, that was the dummy plug piloting. I was originally sent here to take out Gendo, but looks like Karsten did that for me. Then I was told to somehow give you a warning to drop your commander position, so, you know," I once again charge at him, and just like before he dodged it.

"Then why did you kill Dietlinde? She was a baby!" he scratches his chin.

"I dunno… I guess because I knew it'd be easy. Man, you should have seen her face when I wrapped that wire around her neck." He chuckles a little.

"You sick bastard!" I charge at him with another punch, and actually make it this time, sending him flying across the room. With a smile, he reaches behind him and pulls out a gun.

"You know, you really should have gotten out of bed. You could have easily stopped me, and she'd still be around loving you. I'm actually surprised that you didn't hear me take her out of the room!" I glance over at Asuka. Her face was buried in Akagi's shoulder sobbing. Ritsuko had a few tears running too.

"What the fuck are you talking about!" I didn't make a move. I had to wait for the right time to go after him.

"You didn't know? Yeah, I took her out of the room. I didn't kill her in there, I just made it so she couldn't cry or nothin'. But damn, when I got to my room and took off that wire, she was loud! Thank you Gendo for giving me a room away from all of you! I'm sure you would have heard it, then I'd be busted." His eyes were literally evil. I could barely stand to look at them.

"Why did you take her out of our room? What did you do to her!" he raised an eyebrow.

"You seriously don't know? Didn't you look in her crib? I did all that in my room, then simply went back in yours when you fell asleep and dropped it off. You know, you both are hard sleepers for me to be able to put the friggen head in your bed!" I feel tears start to run down my face as I fall to my knees, "Awww, did I say too much?" he walked over to me and poked my head with the gun, "I have to admit, she was a fighter, but I obviously won. I just cut her up piece… by… piece until her little heart finally gave out. I'd say it took around ten minutes of slicing until the screaming stopped…" I pound the ground with my fists.

"You made her suffer!" I was basically sobbing at this point. I've never cried this hard before, "You tortured her!" I hear Asuka sobbing.

"AHHH!" she was on her hands and knees sobbing, "Dietlinde!" Akagi simply stood there shocked at the whole situation.

"Oh, did I hit a nerve?" he looked at Asuka with a smile, "You know Asuka, you may have a sexy body, but Dietlinde did teach me something… we all look the same on the inside…" he fired a bullet at her, shooting her thigh as he did. She let out a painful scream, "You see, now that you all know what I did, I might as well finish what SEELE told me to do," he shot her in the shin, "So goodbye my beautiful pilot," before he could fire, I leaped up and leaped in front of the gun. I feel a sharp pain in my abdomen as I fall to the ground, "Oh, now why'd ya have to go and do that? I had something special planned for you! Whatever, tell Dietlinde I said hey…"

A/N- And there you go. The end of the fic. Sorry if you don't like it, but there will be an epilogue. Before I get any questions, Asuka died, Shinji died, Sam died, Cass died, Akagi died, and NERV fell. SEELE takes over and eventually brings upon the Third Impact, thus killing all of humanity. It will all be explained in the epilogue. Keep on keepin' on!

A/A/N- Gotcha… read the next chapter; Gahiji Screws Up, until then, keep on keepin' on!

A/A/A/N- (looks around) Why are you all glaring at me? (people surround me) What are you all doing? (gets beaten for a crappy joke)

Hey this is the proof reader Frost-Eva-04, if you guys have see any constant screw ups send me a message. My knowledge is no where near prefect so just tell me if it keeps coming up. Keep it frosty.


	95. Gahiji Screws Up

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Chapter 95: Gahiji Screws Up

A/N- This chapter was proof-read by Frost-Eva-04

A/A/N- Funny 'haha' joke… no? My bad… I couldn't help myself!

Same Place

"And tell her never to forget the pain…" he pulled the trigger one more time, sending a loud bang through the room. Expecting to die instantly, I close my eyes and wait for a bullet that never came. "What are you guys, self sacrificing maniacs? Just let someone die already!" I look up to see Akagi standing in front of me with a bloody arm.

"Ritsuko?" she looks back at me and smiles.

"I'm fine…" she then collapses on top of me; she appeared to have blacked out from lack of blood.

"Damn it all to hell! I got one God damn bullet left!" he aimed the gun at me. This time, I react by leaping up and shoving my hand at the gun barrel like so many times before. He tried to throw a punch at me, but I caught it with my free hand, ending with us in a stalemate, "Ah, using your dead hand as a tool, huh? Nice, I must admit," as we both struggled for control, he got a wicked smile, "Tell me Shinji, how many times did you hear Dietlinde cry?"

"Shut up!" I put as much force as I could with my hands.

"No seriously. Okay then, tell me how much you guys bonded. Were you two close?"

"I said shut up!" he simply laughs.

"You know, as I was slicing up your precious daughter, I could have sworn I heard her scream 'daddy'. I think it was when I was on her left hand… yeah, right after I cut off her right foot." I feel my tears run harder.

"Shut the fuck up!" I go to head-butt him, but he meets me with an equally matched one, making us both give a little in pain.

"Oh… am I making you mad?" he smiled again, "Don't like to hear about how Dietlinde died? I thought you wanted to know! Well know this, she died screaming her lungs out in pain…" that sent me over the edge, and ended with me making a foolish mistake. I let go of his hand and went for the punch, but instead he kneed me in the groin, making me fall to the ground. I was starting to feel the effects of the blood loss, and I knew some organs were punctured inside of me, but I tried to ignore the pain as I get back up, "Yeah, that was a cheap shot, huh?" he holds the gun to my forehead.

"No, this is," I duck under the gun and swipe my leg under his, making him fall to the ground. When he was down there I grab the gun and throw it across the room after firing the last shot into his groin. While he was in the fetal position in pain, I grab his arm and hold it out so his elbow was straight, "You made my daughter suffer," I crack his elbow in half with mine, making him scream in pain, "You made us suffer," I hit it once again, thus making it a compound fracture, "And yet you still see nothing wrong with what you did!" kick his head. I say nothing more; I simply beat on him with all that I have. Within a couple minutes, all of his limbs were broken, and I had my hand around his throat, "Try and escape from this one you son of a bitch!" his blood-shot eyes soon go lifeless and his whole body goes limp. Without hesitation, I jet over to Akagi's desk and press the intercom button, "This is Shinji Ikari, we have two bullet wounds and… a death in Ritsuko Akagi's office… get medical staff down here now!" I never look at Asuka, I already knew what happened, and I didn't need to see it.

I feel myself starting to sob as I begin to black out. Asuka died because I lost my cool when she was speaking with him. She followed me to try and help me calm down, but instead she got a bullet to the head. She died in pain… and it was my fault once again… I completely lose consciousness.

---

NERV Hospital

"So how'd she die?" I was still half asleep, but I knew that I was in the hospital. Two doctors were in my room talking.

"Gunshot to the head, she died instantly, she didn't feel any pain. Nobody really liked her aside from her dumbass husband, so it doesn't matter." I hear them walk out of the room, "You should see the blood stain from the bullet!" I finally open my eyes to a blurred image of the ceiling. I look to my side, praying that I'd see Asuka in the bed next to me, but instead I see Ritsuko still asleep.

"Asuka…" she was gone… my wife was gone… "Please don't leave me…" I close my eyes once again and pray for death as I let the tears run.

"Now why would I go and do that?" I keep my eyes closed as I smile.

"You always have to make a dramatic appearance, don't you?" I open my still teary eyes to see her at my bedside. Her arm seemed fine. It must have just been enter and exit bullet.

"Actually, yeah, I do. How are you feeling?" there was something different about her… I couldn't place what it was though.

"Aside from a hole in my stomach, I'm fine… what happened? I thought…" she just shook her head.

"If you would've looked, you would have seen that I put up my arm and caught the bullet. I didn't say anything because I knew that you were concentrating on the asshole. And thanks a lot for calling in a death!" she playfully slapped my shoulder.

"Well I thought he killed you!" she let out a laugh.

"You think I'd die that easily?" that was true… "Oh, I almost forgot, you can get up. Your bullet wound is fine," I reach down and touch my stomach, expecting pain, but instead I feel nothing. No stitches, nothing.

"What did the doctors do? And why don't you have a sling or something? You got shot twice in the arm!" she raises an eyebrow.

"You don't know? You've been in a coma for the last month. So has Akagi, but she still hasn't woken up." Damn… a whole month…

"Wow… okay then, what'd I miss?" she held up a fist.

"Let's see, that asshole Gahiji is dead," she counted off with her fingers, "Sam and Cass lost something the other night, and you were right, I am pregnant. I think that's it…" Sam and Cass lost something?

"What did they lose?" she smirks.

"You know Shinji, you really suck at sexual stuff…" well, apparently I'm not!

"And that has to do-… holy crap!" she chuckled.

"Yeah, I couldn't sleep a wink that night. Sam isn't allowed to call me loud anymore!" kinda glad I wasn't around for that…

"Damn… is that all?" I had a sarcastic voice on.

"Oh! No, it's not. You know how the guy that raped me, then got sent to prison?" how could I forget? "Well apparently he got killed in there. Something about a fight that went too far…" glad that asshole's dead…

"About friggen time!" I glance over at a sleeping Ritsuko, "Any idea how she's doing?" Asuka loses the smile and shakes her head.

"No one knows. I mean, she's stable, they know that much, but as for when she'll wake up, we have no idea." A long awkward pause, "But don't worry about it! Ritsuko's a strong woman, she'll be fine!" I look back up at her with a fake smile.

"I hope so…" I get out of bed with a struggle. Not using your muscles for this long really screws you up! She meets me at eye level as I get up.

"So… do you know what tomorrow is?" I rack my brain trying to come up with what she was talking about. After a minute, I give up.

"Sorry, no idea. What?" she takes my hand and pecks me on the cheek.

"You know, I would normally kick your ass for not remembering, but you have an excuse for once. It's my birthday," oh yeah! I forgot about that… okay, I didn't FORGET, I was just in a friggen coma!

"Well then I'm glad I didn't miss it!" she lets go of my hands and picks up a pair of pants and a shirt, "What? I'm dressed this time!" I was wearing a hospital gown!

"I'm sorry, I just can't talk to you knowing that you're mooning Ritsuko…" she was trying so hard not to laugh. Why did the hospital have to embarrass me every time I visit it? With a sigh I grab the clothes and walk into the bathroom to get changed. When I walk back out, I see her sitting on my bed, "Okay, NOW we can talk about my birthday!"

"Okay, as I was about to say, is there anything specific you want?" she shakes her head.

"No, as corny as it sounds I'm just glad that you're here for it. We can just go out for dinner or something," she gets up and grabs my hand, "As for right now, let's go back to our room. I have a little something planned for Sam and Cass…"she had THAT smile on. The smile that always told me that she was about to do something either embarrassing to me or someone else.

"You're going to tease them, aren't you?"

"Oh yeah. They still don't know that I know, but they will!" I have to admit, the look on Cass's face will be priceless! When we get to their door, Asuka knocks on it fairly hard, "Hey Sam! Can we come in?" the door swings open to show Sam with a huge smile on.

"You're finally awake! It took you long enough!" Asuka gets her smile back on, "Uh oh… what are you about to do?" even Sam knew the smile!  
"What DID you do? Or the better question is who…" Sam instantly blushes.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about…" Cass walks up next to her with the same blush on.

"Okay, I'm sure Cass remembers. Remember two nights ago?" they both nervously shake their heads, "Oh come on, you remember! It was after a date you two had, you went into this room – making out I may add – and then a few minutes later Sam was moaning. Mind telling me what happened?" Cass closed his eyes and put his hands behind his head as he walked off.

"Well, we're busted…" he left Sam there blushing all by herself.

"Did you two at least use a condom?" I cut in at this point. They should, they've seen the effects of neglect!

"Um… y-yeah… we did… do we have to talk about this?" Asuka just chuckles.

"Nope, not at all, but I had to pay you back from our vacation!" Sam closes the door without saying a word, "Man that was good!" Asuka begins to laugh her ass off.

A/N- Okay, not one of my longer chapters, but I didn't really have much to work with. Plus, I had to hurry up and get this posted, so sorry about that. Anyway, you can all sleep soundly tonight knowing that Dietlinde's killer is rotting in hell. So, what do you think will happen tomorrow at Asuka's birthday? That's about the whole chapter, so nothing more to say. Find out what happens in the next chapter; Accepting, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	96. Accepting

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Chapter 96: Accepting

A/N- This chapter was proof-read by Frost-Eva-04. Thanks for the help once again!

A/A/N- Sorry, but the flow of chapters is going to slow down a lot. I have finals coming up, and I need to study. On top of that, my asshole algebra teacher is piling homework on us, so you won't see as many chapters until later on. Yes, I am going to post, don't get me wrong, but it won't be nearly instant like before. This applies to my other fic as well.

"Wake up my beautiful wife…" I had been up for an hour now, simply staring at the ceiling, and found a few interesting things about myself: the new scar on my stomach for one, just adding to my permanent collection of near-death experiences, and one other thing… I only had one hand. Apparently they amputated it when I was asleep; all that was left was a fleshy stump. I had to admit, I had mixed feelings about it. On one hand, I was glad to see it gone. It was getting kind of disgusting carrying that thing around. But on the other hand… what other hand? I couldn't help but chuckle at my personal joke, but seriously. I knew that it was now apparent that I had one hand. Before, I was just able to cover it up with a glove, but now I just had a stump. I really didn't know which side I'd rather have… well, no turning back now. It's gone for good, "Asuka? Time to wake up," she smiled in her sleep.

"Mmmm… do I have to?" I lightly kiss her on the cheek.

"Don't you want to start your birthday? You're a seventeen year old girl now…" she smirked.

"Stop talking to me like that… you know I hate that…" she nuzzled her face deeper into the crook of my neck, "And this is all I need for my birthday… I just want to be with you…" she wrapped her arm around my torso and pulled me tight, "For the rest of my life…" I put my arm around her shoulders.

"Me too Asuka…" did she just turn me getting her up into her going BACK to sleep? Damn she's good! "We'll get up in a little while, okay?"

"Mmhmm…" soon, I heard her sleeping again. She was always able to play me so easily, if she played her cards right, she could get me to do anything. I remember back when she first moved in with me and Misato, it was her turn to cook that night, and we were having an argument about who was going to cook. Somehow – and I'll never know how – she got me to make a four-course meal with dessert. One of many examples! After a few minutes I lean down and gently kiss her forehead.

"Come on Asuka, time to get up," she begins to stir.

"But I don't wanna…" she whined half asleep. She sounded like a school girl!

"What if I make it worth your while? Will you get up then?" she slowly raises her head and looks at me with half-closed eyes.

"There is nothing you could do to get me up…" she had her 'challenge me' voice on. I smile back at her.

"What if I tell you that I got you the best present ever?" with a smile, she gets out of bed and stretches her arms above her head, "Wow… can't believe that actually worked…" she looks back at me with a raised eyebrow.

"It didn't. You didn't get me anything, you couldn't have. I just wanted to get up and get this day started…" she caught me in a lie… well, not completely. I was planning on taking her out to dinner. I get up and walk over to her.

"Not true. You think that I wouldn't do anything for your birthday? I'm taking you out for dinner tonight! How does that sound?" she begins to walk over to the shower.

"Like I said, you don't have to do anything. I just want to be with you today, that's all," her saying something like that was rare to say the least, "Of course, if you WANT to take me out…" she's back. She winked at me as she entered the bathroom and shut the door. A few seconds after the shower started, I heard a knocking at the door.

"Yo Shinji, can I come in?" it sounded like Cass.

"Don't be so rude!" and Sam… I open the door and see Sam holding a neatly wrapped gift in her hands. They actually bought her a gift? That was actually pretty nice!

"Oh hey, you got her a gift?" Sam looks at me with a disgusted face. Did I just say the wrong thing here?

"Don't tell me you forgot her birthday! Are you seriously going to tell me that you completely forgot? How could you do that?" yep… I said the wrong thing…

"I didn't! I'm taking her out for dinner tonight! I just didn't get her a gift because I was kinda unable…" Sam blushes right away. Cass let out a small laugh at her reaction, and truthfully, I wanted to, but I knew that I'd just get yelled at more!

"I'm so sorry! I should have known that you didn't forget!" hell, I almost did.

"Don't worry about it. You want to come in?"

"Um… sure… thanks…" Sam was still embarrassed at what just happened. I let them inside and they take a seat at the sofa.

"Well, Asuka's in the shower right now, but she'll be out soon. Thanks for doing this for her, that was nice of you," I was actually surprised that they did anything. I didn't really have anything that would lead me otherwise, but it's just new.

"Of course we got her something! What, did you think that we'd completely neglect her?" I just keep on digging, huh?

"Oh yeah, Shinji, I almost forgot," he reached into his pocket and threw something at me, "If you two are going to 'do' anything tonight, promise to use that, okay?" I can't believe he just threw me a condom! What the hell was his problem? I doubt anything like that's going to happen tonight, I mean, she's pregnant!

"And may I ask why you have this is the first place?" Sam went red.

"Well… we kinda picked some up that night… I didn't want to get pregnant…" hm, I wonder why!

"Hey, I'm not criticizing you, you two made the right choice," they both smile slightly. While I don't regret not wearing one, it still would have been a good idea. My first time with Asuka was… well, not to sugar coat it, natural. We didn't have anything on, not even a piece of latex a millimeter thick, we joined physically and mentally that night. If I were able to do that night over, would I still refrain from using protection? Absolutely. Because of that so-called 'mistake', we were both given one of the most precious gifts we have ever gotten.

"But it wasn't exactly…" for some reason, I think Sam is about to embarrass the hell out of me and Cass, "It wasn't really what I was expecting…" Cass nearly fainted. I knew what she meant, but apparently he didn't.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Cass was blushing bright red.

"No, I mean it wasn't this amazing experience that everyone always talks about. Shinji, you know what I'm talking about, right?" why is she dragging ME into this?

"Um… yeah…" Cass just stares at me blankly, "Cass… the first time…" how did I suddenly become a sex-ed teacher? "It's not completely enjoyable for a girl the first time… why don't you tell him? You obviously know more then me!" hell, the only reason I know is because Asuka told me.

"No, that pretty much sums it up."

"Can we PLEASE drop this?" just then, the shower turns off, "Thank God!"

"You're such a baby!" Sam lightly slaps his shoulder with a smile… a few seconds later Asuka comes out of the bathroom fully dressed. I let out a small sigh. Normally she comes out with only a towel, so she must have heard them come in.

"Oh, hey guys. When did you get here?" she didn't know? Well then I guess it's just a gift from God!

"When you were in the shower. Happy birthday!" Sam got up and handed Asuka her gift, "I wasn't too sure what to get, so I hope you like it."

"You didn't have to get me anything, but thanks," Asuka unwrapped the small box to show a plain white box. She opened it and pulled out a plain gold necklace. Not the most thoughtful gift in my opinion, Asuka rarely wore jewelry aside from her wedding ring, but nice none the less.

"Like I said, I know that it's not much, but you're not the easiest person to shop for!" we all have found that to be true. Come to think of it, I haven't really gotten her anything for her birthday. Yet another year of the same routine… or maybe not…

"No, I love it. Thanks," Asuka lightly hugged Sam. Though she said that, I knew that she was thinking 'When the hell would I wear this?', but she's mature enough to not say anything like that… right?

"Hey Shinji, can I talk to you alone for a second?" Cass waved me over into the hall outside of Asuka's room.

"Um… sure…" I follow him out into the hall and he closes the door. What was he doing? "What do you need?"

"Okay, me and Sam were talking. We're going to spend some time with Asuka and give you some time to get out and get her a gift. We'll give you about an hour or two, but I doubt that she'll stay with only us for much longer. Now look, go in there and tell her that you sign off some papers on Gahiji's death that can't wait," but what was I even going to get her? How was I supposed to know what she wanted?

"But-" he cut me off.

"Look, just do it. I know what she said about not wanting anything, but that's a bold faced lie. While you were asleep, she was talking to Sam about her birthday and guessing what she might get. Now go," he pushed me inside. Damnit… I really didn't want to lie to Asuka about such a stupid thing. Couldn't I just say 'Give me a couple hours to get you a gift'? I'm sure she'd be okay with it… but of course that's not what came out.

"Asuka, I'm really sorry, but I have to go sign off a few documents concerning NERV that can't wait. It won't take more then two hours, I promise," her jaw drops… crap. I knew that she wasn't going to take this well!

"Are you kidding me? You're head of NERV! Can't you just tell them to wait? It's your wife's birthday!" God I felt horrible about this. I'm going to have to get her something really good to make up for this.

"I'm really sorry, I already tried, I'm stuck here. I promise that I'll be back within the next two hours," I walk up to her and lightly kiss her on the lips, "Please don't be angry at me…" she pulls away from me and sits on the sofa, obviously ready to slap the crap out of me.

"Whatever, go take care of what you need. Don't bother coming back, you obviously don't care," damnit Cass! I'm going to get him back for this!

"Forget about it, I won't go," I walk over to sit next to her, but she stands up and glares at me.

"No, go. You're work – of course – is more important then your family. I'm sorry I forgot that Commander Ikari!" damn… I really screwed up here… "You know, all I wanted today was to be with you, but you couldn't even give me that. I don't want any fancy gifts, I don't want and birthday wishes, all I wanted – all I hoped for – was to be with you. You have no idea how happy I was to see you wake up, just knowing that you'd be here today, but you somehow managed to ruin even that," I go to say something, but she cuts me off, "Just shut up! Go do what you need to do, then come back, but don't you dare apologize, because you don't mean it," with my heart sinking and my head hung low, I walk out of the room. I swear Cass was going to pay for this! What the hell can I get her to make up for this? Thinking of this the whole walk to my car, I was still unable to think of anything.

"Is there a jewelry store around here?" I ask myself. I start the car… my sports car… "Shinji… you're denser then a friggen black hole…" I crawl out of the car and call a cab. She said that she wanted one not even a week ago… my time. When the cab pulls up, I climb in.

"Where to buddy?" it felt weird to be in here. I haven't been in one sense I was in Germany, but that didn't really count… I kinda ran from the bill…

"Any car dealership that sells sports cars, and try to hurry please," without a word, he began to drive.

"So, what are you going there for?" the silence obviously didn't last for long.

"A gift for my-" he let out a booming laugh as he cut me off.

"Come on kid, be serious. For one, you're too young to be married, and two, how would you even afford one of those?" he continued to laugh. How'd he know that I was going to say that? I take out my ID card and show it to him.

"I make about twenty million Yen a year plus benefits." He damn near turns the car over when he sees the ID card.

"Holy crap! You're commander Ikari? I thought that you were at least in your fifties!" I put it back in my wallet.

"That was my father, he left to position to me after he died. Oh, and yeah, I'm married," he once again almost gets in an accident. Maybe I've said too much…

"You're the pilot of Unit 01 aren't you?" I nod slightly, "Holy crap! Man, it's great to meet you! I knew that you were young, but damn! If you don't mind my asking, who's the pilot of Unit 02? I've never heard anything about him," him… yeah, real funny.

"Well, for one, I'm married to the pilot of Unit 02…" might as well freak him out, right?

"Oh, my bad man, sorry if I offended you…" I let out a chuckle.

"No, I'm joking. I'm married to HER. The pilot of Unit 02 is a girl," he once again laughed loudly.

"You had me going there for a second! So… what's she like?" I wasn't about to give her name, but I could brag a little, right?

"Well, she's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. She has long red hair…" he cut me off.

"You mean Asuka Langley Souryu? I thought she piloted Unit 00?" you'd think that people would at least get the names of their saviors right…

"No, that WAS Rei Ayanami. She's gone though… so you already know of Asuka?" he nods.

"Who doesn't? Man, you're one lucky guy. So tell me…" he smirked… ah damnit, "How's she in bed? With an attitude like that she'd have to be wild, right?" I hate it when people talk like that about any woman, especially Asuka.

"Okay, you're stepping over the line. Don't talk like that about her," the car went silent until we finally reached the car dealership. I hand him the fair but he puts up a hand.

"Forget about it. Sorry about that, I didn't mean anything by it," slipping the money back into my pocket, I step out of the car.

"Just learn to respect women better… thanks for the ride," I walk off into the car lot. I was immediately met with a car dealer. I've heard that these guys are sharks when it comes to selling cars… time for a challenge.

"Why hello my fine young boy! How are you today?" before I could answer, he continues to talk, "I know how you are, you're great because you're about to shop at the best car dealership this side of Japan! Now tell me, what are you looking for?" no, this guy wasn't pushy at all.

"Anything with power. There's no budget," his smile grows even wider if that's possible.

"Well then I have the perfect car for you!" he guides me over to a car that – even I had to admit – looked pretty awesome, "It's the 2001 B. Engineering Edonis. It may be old, but it's one of the best damn sports cars we have on this lot. Zero to one hundred in eight point one seconds, six hundred and eighty horse power, and on top of all that, some of the best body frames I've ever seen," this thing looked better then my car! It had a blood red paint job, only making it look all the better.

A/N- Look this car up. I don't know why, but it actually reminds me of Asuka. I gave the whole name if you're interested.

"Wow… this is… perfect… how much?" I see a small drop of sweat form on his forehead. Hell, price didn't matter to me!

"Um… it's sixty million yen…" he gave an awkward smile. Damn! This thing is expensive!

A/N- sixty million yen is ABOUT six hundred thousand American dollars.

"I'll take it. Where do I sign?" he nearly fainted. Looks like this guy works off of commission!

"Are you serious? I-I mean… follow me…" he guides me into the main building, still sweating the whole way. Looks like I'm about to make the day of a certain man! When we got to his desk he handed me a stack of papers, "Just sign where it tells you to on the first page, then I'll need proof of your identity along with the payment," he's calmed down quite a bit. After I signed I took out my ID card, "Okay Mr.… Ikari… ah crap… you're commander of NERV aren't you?" I nod, "Damnit… just take it…" he threw me a set of keys, "Damn government thinks they can just waltz in and take from us hard working men…" he mumbled as he walked back into the car lot. I could help but chuckle. I wanted to go up to him and tell him just how many times his 'damn government' has saved the world, but I had to get home quick… and I had a fast car… nice. I get into the car and rev the engine to life.

"Oh yeah…" it may not be as powerful as mine, but it sure felt better! I'm normally not one to drive fast, but in this, I couldn't help myself. Within two minutes I was back at NERV, "Ho… ly… crap…" should I really give this much power to Asuka? An image of her kneeing me in the groin for leaving enters my mind… yeah; I think this is a good idea! I run back to her room and regain my composure before entering; "Oh Asuka, I got something to show you!" it wasn't even an hour! How mad could she be at me? I open the door to see her on the sofa crying as she hugged Sam.

"Shinji, not a good time…" Cass whispered to me, "She got to ranting after you left and broke down in tears…" feeling my heart sink, I walk over and sit next to her.

"What do you want…?" Sam got up and left us alone. Asuka didn't make eye contact with me; she just stared at the floor. Without warning, I take her into my arms.

"Did you really think that I'd leave you on your birthday?" she didn't say anything. Without a word, I pick her up and walk out of the room.

"What are you doing?" she mumbled under her breath. I… think I'm in over my head with this… she's not heavy or anything, but… I'm just weak… by some miracle; I make it out to her car and let her down.

"I was picking up your gift. Remember how you wanted a better car?" her jaw hung loose at her new car.

"You… got me this?"

"Well yeah, you said you wanted one, right?" she looked back at me with a half smile, half glare face.

"You're the biggest asshole on the earth, you know that?" she wiped the last of her tears away, "But you're my asshole…" she latches onto my neck and kisses me lightly on the lips. Oh yeah Shinji, you made it up. I'm good! She pulls back and looks into my eyes, "Why'd ya have to freak me out like that?" she playfully slaps my shoulder, "I would have been fine if you just would have told me what you were doing!"

"But I wanted it to be a surprise… it was Cass's fault! He told me not to tell you!" she chuckled.

"Well I'll be sure to kick his ass, okay?" looked like my old Asuka was back. I knew what I did was messed up, but to cry over it? I mean, Asuka rarely cried, and when she did it would be over something big, not me leaving… what's wrong with her?

"Don't kill him," we begin to walk back to her room – she's walking on her own this time thankfully! "So, how are we going to get to the restaurant? Your van?" it's not like I spent anything on the car, but I wouldn't mind basking in her shock for awhile.

"Oh shut up! You can donate that thing to charity for all I care!" then we see Cass in the hallway, "Speaking of… why don't we give it to him?" that was actually a pretty good idea…

"If you want, it's your van," what was she going to use it for?

"Okay. Hey Cass! Come here for a sec!" he looked up at us and gave a small smile.

"So I take it Shinji made up for it, huh? What'd ya get her? Another wedding ring?" this was going to be an Asuka bragging moment, I can just tell.

"Nope, he got me a sports car!" Cass nearly fell over. And I was right about the bragging part…

"Y-You got… holy crap Shinji, I meant go out and get her a piece of jewelry and you come back with a friggen car?" what jewelry could I even get her? Nothing that I'd be able to find would match her wedding ring, and on top of that, she doesn't really wear jewelry.

"Yeah well, he's overly caring," what did that even mean? "Okay, now that I have something else to drive, I was thinking, you want my van? I'm never going to use it now, so might as well pass it on, right?" He smiled slightly.

"You're actually going to give me the van? No payment, no obligation, nothing?" I'm sure that Asuka will keep this as a little ace in her pocket for later, but for now I think it's free.

"Yeah, what am I going to do with it? Here," she tossed him the keys, "And don't crash it or anything, you're only getting one!" well… I could just get him a car like I did for her… I almost offered it, but why ruin the moment? Asuka was giving a big gift here; this probably meant something to her.

"Thanks Asuka, really. That's really nice of you… now I feel bad that all we got you was a necklace! Is there anything I can do for you?" Asuka got a wicked smile… uh oh…

"Not now, but maybe later. Just remember that you owe me!" we walk back into Asuka's room.

"I'll repay you, I promise," Sam was sitting on the sofa looking concerned. When she hears us walk in she popped up from the sofa.

"Asuka, please don't' be mad at Shinji, it was my idea to have him go out. I'm the one you should be mad at," looks like Sam had some time to put together a little speech!

"He was just out getting me a gift… a kickass gift at that! How could I be mad at him now?" Sam lets out a long sigh. Knowing her, she really would have taken the blame even though I could have said no.

"Good… glad it worked out… so Shinji, what'd ya get her? A ring? A dress?"

"A 2001 B. Engineering Edonis," her jaw dropped to the floor. I know Sam… too much power…

"I-Isn't… that a…" I nod, "Holy crap… we meant for you to go out and get her a…" Cass cut her off.

"We already had this conversation in the hallway. Shinji's a showoff, Asuka's ga-ga over him, the normal," he was met with a harsh slap to the back of the head, "Ow…"

"I'm not 'ga-ga' over him; I'm just married to him!" Just? What was that supposed to mean?

"Is that why you were crying your eyes out when he left?" Cass ducked as Asuka swung again, "HA! You miss-" she slapped him as he came back up, "Ow…" you know, this was better then watching a movie! Seeing Asuka beat up on people is pretty damn funny!

"Okay, enough beating up my boyfriend. Come on Cass, I think the two lovebirds would like some time alone," she took his wrist and dragged him out of the room, "See ya Asuka, happy birthday," she shut the door behind her.

"Soooo… what now?" we just stood in the middle of the room in silence as she spoke, "It's only twelve… movie?"

"Sure, I guess, your birthday. What do you want to see?" what exactly were we supposed to do?

"I dunno… but I get to drive! You got the keys?" we're bored, I might as well have some fun, no?

"Yeah…" I don't make a move.

"Well? Can you get them?" she puts out her hand.

"Yes, I can…" like before, I don't make a move. I couldn't help but let a smile out.

"Can you get them right now?" her voice was starting to get irritated… this was fun!

"Yes, I ca-" she slaps my shoulder and I laugh. Seriously, who didn't see that coming?

"Quit being a smartass!" she reached into my pocket and pulled out the keys, "Should have done that before…" she began to walk out of the room, and I follow soon after her, "I got a new car!" I'm glad I was able to do this for her, it obviously made her happy.

"Yeah, just try not to crash it on the first day, that was the best one they had on the lot," she looks back at me with a smile.

"I'll try not to…" I knew she was joking, but that still creeped me out. It wasn't even the car; I was just worried about her getting hurt one of these days from driving like that. She turned around and wrapped her arms around my neck, "I didn't want to do this in the parking lot… but I think you deserve a little thank you…" she leans in and kisses me deeply. This was a great thank you! Hell, if all it took was a car to get this… then I'm screwed… she leaned back and smiled up at me, "Man I hate being shorter then you… it was easier when we were fourteen and I didn't have to stand on my toes to reach you!"

"Excuse me for growing a few inches!" darn those male hormones, always making people too tall…

"A few? Shinji, you were damn near a midget when I first met you, no offence," we once again begin to walk to her new car.

"None taken… even though we were the same height…" we were both exactly five-three at the time, now she was five-four and I was about five-seven. The height wasn't THAT much of a difference, but apparently enough for her. When we finally get in her car, she lets a wicked smile cross her face… ah crap…

"Man, this thing is great!" she revs the engine to life.

"Asuka?" she stared out the front wind-shield with that same smile.

"How much power does this have again?"

"Um… six hundred forty I think…"

"So… that's…" she's silent for a few seconds, "Zero to one hundred in eight… point one seconds…" how the hell?

"How'd you know that?"

"Math… let's see if it's right!" she takes off, pushing the car to its limits, "Sixty… sixty five… seventy… seventy five…" she counted off the miles as we went. I think we just passed a stop sign back there…

"Um… Asuka? School zone…" she sped through that too.

"One hundred… eight seconds! I'm good!" she slowed down the car dramatically, "Okay, I'll drive normal, you can stop sweating now."

"I'm not sweating!" I'm damn near crying is what I'm doing…

"Uh huh… whatever. So, what movie are we going to see? Comedy? Tragedy?" she looks over at me with a seductive smile, "Romance?" she looks back at the road, "Triple X?"

"NO!" sure, we were old enough, and it's not like it's new to us, but that's just gross! Why would I want to watch OTHER people have sex?

"I'm just messing around! But seriously, what do you want to watch?" it was her birthday, why should I choose?

"It's all up to you. Think of me as a doll that pays today, okay?" she smiles.

"Okay, you said it, not me… triple X it is!" I nearly faint, "Fine… romance…" she chuckled. I found nothing funny in that! I'd never watch one of those things alone, let alone with Asuka! "Man, you are way too easy Shinji. You know I'd never watch one of those perverted things!"

"I know… but don't even joke about it… it's just… ew…" she laughs.

"Aww, did I embarrass my Shinji?" I hated it when she did that… "Is the idea of sex too much for you to handle?"

"Yeah, that's why we've had sex what, six times now?" and have had two children? I didn't say that though…

"True… I'll give you that. So anyway, about the movie, I heard about this one called _Love Story_, it's really old, like, from the seventies, but I heard it was good. It's from America, but this movie theater had the translated version. Sound good?" where'd she learn to pronounce English so well?

"What does that mean, _Love Story_?"

"It means Love Story, yeah, I know it sounds corny, but like I said, it sounded good." Right there! How'd she know that? Why didn't she just say that in the first place?

"And… you know this… how? Why didn't you just call it that before?"

"I dunno, habit I guess. And I know it because… well… promise you won't laugh, but Sam's been teaching me some English in exchange for me teaching her German. I know, it's kinda stupid, but I've been bored…" just like Asuka to seek knowledge when she's bored. She may have hated school, but she sure excelled at it.

"That's not stupid at all, I'm glad you're doing that. So, is it hard?" she laughs.

"You have no friggen idea! I swear, English is basically all the languages mixed together," yeah, I've heard of that.

"You got me interested now… say something," she glances over at me with a raised eyebrow.

"What? Why?" hearing her speak German always made me feel a mixture of feelings: being proud obviously, but also a sense of isolation that was occasionally comforting for some reason.

"Because I like to hear you speak other languages, it makes you sound really smart!" that was another reason, of course.

"Fine… what do you want me to say?" to an extent, she sounded like she was bragging.

"I dunno… whatever you feel I guess…" she smiled.

"Okay, but remember, I just started after you went into that coma…" she took a deep breath, "_I love you Shinji Ikari, and nothing will ever change_… uh… ah damnit… I forgot the word…" she thought for awhile, "_THAT!_ There ya go!" her face lit up when she finally got the word.

"Okay… now what did you say?" she chuckled, "No seriously! I wanna know!"

"Okay, I said _I love you Shinji Ikari, and nothing will ever change that_," great, now she's speaking German!

"Come on! That's not fair! Now you can tease me in three languages!" she laughs at this point. It was true though, I can see her talking to me all day in English just to annoy me!

"Sure can!" I look at her with begging eyes, "Fine, you're such a baby. What did we say to each other that day at the beach?"

"Hm… wait for it… wait for it…" she slaps the back of my head, "Ow… damn, just joking. I love you Asuka, and nothing will ever change that… is that what you said?"

"Yeah Shinji, I said 'I love you Asuka', come on!" mood swing much? She wasn't just being sarcastic anymore, that was just harsh.

"Sorry…" the car goes silent for awhile. What set her off? Did I say something I shouldn't have? Did she not like the fact that I was being sarcastic? But we were just joking around not two minutes ago. I knew that it couldn't be her menstrual cycle, she was pregnant. Maybe I did piss her off… but with what damnit? When we finally got to the theater, she took a deep breath and looked at me.

"Sorry for acting like that, I've been like this for awhile now. I don't know what the deal is, but I just can't keep my emotions under control lately. Let's just forget about it and have fun at the movie, okay?" Asuka's back… I think… I hope… I pray!

"Don't worry about it," we get out of the car, "Probably just all of the stress lately, it's bound to get to you eventually." She gives me a warm smile.

"Thanks, now let's see just how good this thing is, huh?" we walk into the theater hand in hand. After we bought the tickets… well… after I flashed my ID, we went into a large room and waited for it to start.

"Oh, I forgot to ask you, when I was asleep, did you have the doctors amputate my hand?" today was actually pretty interesting with it. Apparently, now I have a phantom limb… well, HAND. When it was still attached to my body, I could feel it hanging from my wrist, but now that it's gone, I guess my body thinks that it's back to normal or something.

"Yeah, I recommended it the day after. I hope that's okay, but you did say that you wanted it gone," now she sounded like Hikari!

"No, I'm not complaining at all, I'm glad it's gone! I was just wondering. It's not everyday I wake up with a missing hand!" this actually got a pretty decent laugh out of her, "I have a phantom limb now…" she once again laughed. Was she high or something?

"Limb? Shinji, it's only a hand!" I just thought that…

"Yeah, true. You know what I mean," she calms down and wraps an arm around my shoulders, and then she laid her head on my right shoulder.

"I know, just givin' you a hard time," she hasn't done this with me in awhile, I kinda like this position, "I love you Shinji…" look at her! She's so cute right now!

"I love you too, Asuka…" just then, then lights dim and – to my surprise – a color film comes on. I'm not sure why, but I expected it to be in black and white.

---

Two Hours Later

Truthfully, we stopped watching the movie about half an hour ago. It was about some couple going through trouble, and somehow pulling through it and they're still together. The whole theme of the movie was 'True lovers never have to say I'm sorry' or something like that, I wasn't really paying attention. So anyway, about not watching the movie, a really mushy scene came on when the man had to leave and the two people shared a kiss… guess what we started to do. She just looked up at me and smiled. Then – without saying a word – she leaned in and began to kiss me. All I can say is that I'm thankful that this theater is empty! I remember when I was that fourteen year old in the theater looking at the older couple making out in disgust… things sure change. Out of nowhere, the lights come back on. Asuka pulled back and looked at me with a smile.

"So… how'd ya like the movie?" she chuckles.

"Pretty damn good in my opinion," we get up and start to walk out of the theater, "You?"

"Eh, it was okay, a little boring though," I like this mood! When we got out to the car, she handed me the keys, "I want you to drive. I'm getting kinda tired for some reason…" it was only three thirty! I take the keys and begin to drive off slowly.

"Are you okay?" she lays her bodyweight against the door and closes her eyes.

"Yeah, I'm fine… just really tired…" within a couple minutes, I heard a slight snoring. She really was tired, huh? Wonder what was wrong, I mean, she's been acting really weird lately. After about five minutes of driving in silence, NERV was starting to come into view.

"Don't… leave…" I heard Asuka mutter in her sleep. A few seconds later, I saw a tear roll down her cheek. What was she dreaming of? Don't leave… was she talking about me?

"Asuka, we're home," I lightly nudge her.

"Mmmm…" she raises her head and looks at me with half-closed eyes, "Oh… sorry…" she wiped the tear from her eye and got out of the car, "I needed that little nap…" she stretches her arms above her head. Something was wrong with her, I just know it.

"Do you want me to wake you up in a few hours? You can take a real nap in your room," we begin to walk back to her room.

"Nah, I'm fine. I just needed a little relaxation," she let out a long yawn. I was tempted to ask her about her attitude today, but we were having fun, why ruin it? I'll just do that tomorrow. When we finally got to her room, she instantly sat on the bed.

"I'll be right back," not expecting to take long at all, I go into the bathroom. When I come back out, I see her lying on the bed, fast asleep, "Not tired, huh?" I grab a blanket and cover her up gently. I'll just wake her up in a little while, she looks exhausted, so why not let her have a short nap?

---

Same Place – 10:00 PM

How the hell is she still asleep? I've tried to wake her up at least ten times now, and every time she would just roll over and ignore me. I was just expecting her to sleep through the night, so I get ready for bed myself. After changing into some night clothes, I crawl in next to her and turn off the light. Ever sense we got home and she fell sleep, I've 'entertained' myself by cleaning the entire room. Seriously, I doubt that even a piece of dust is in this room, I cleaned every inch of it.

"Sleep good Asuka…" I was basically talking to myself, but it was kinda a habit at this point.

"Not yet…" she would do this to me!

"You're up? Since when?" she chuckled.

"I've been awake for an hour now, but it's cute to watch you clean around the room," damnit… all of that for nothing!

"And let me guess, you're not even close to being tired?"

"Eh, I could go to bed, but I don't want to…" she began to whisper in my ear, "You know how I said that all I wanted was to be with you today?" she swung a leg around my hips, "Well I want one more thing…"

"Asuka, I don't think we can, I mean, you're pregnant," she waves a hand in the air.

"So?" couldn't that affect the baby? "Like I care what happens to it!"

"Asuka! That's you child! That's OUR child! Don't talk like that!" she looses her smile and glares at me.

"No, correction, this is YOUR child, not mine. I gave you a choice between an abortion and raising it on your own. You chose to raise it, so I'm giving that to you, but I'm not raising it. Like it or not, this baby won't have a mother. It's still not too late to get an abortion you know," was this coming from Asuka? She wasn't being her normal self today, but to say that?

"You're still not budging on this, are you?" she shook her head, "What happened to all that talk about not wanting to be like your mother?"

"That was to Dietlinde! Not this… thing!" great, now she was referring to it as a 'thing'.

"Well like it or not, you're having another baby. And after seeing you with Dietlinde, I doubt that you'll follow through with what you're saying. I don't even think that you'd be able to get an abortion!" I really didn't. Asuka wouldn't be able to rid herself of her child, even if she thought that she didn't want it.

"You want to try me? I'll go get this done right now if you don't believe me!" she could too if she pushed the subject to the hospital enough.

"You won't even be able to get out of this room before stopping…" she gets out of bed and goes into her closet.

"You know, I'm glad as hell that you're letting me do this," she comes back out wearing jeans and a t-shirt, "Didn't want to be a mother anyway…" she starts to walk out of the room.

"That's not what you said when you first got pregnant with Dietlinde…" she whips around and glares at me like never before.

"Stop comparing this to Dietlinde!"

"How is it any different? Give me one difference!" I was starting to lose my temper too…

"Because I don't want this! I loved Dietlinde, and I despise this child! I don't want anything to do with this thing!" she… wasn't kidding… this wasn't just anger talking… this was the truth…

"Do you believe in God?" after a few minutes, I speak up.

"What does-?"

"Answer the question!" she crossed her arms.

"Yes, I do. What the hell does that have to do with anything?"

"Why? Why do you believe in a higher being?" she let out a long sigh.

"God, what is this, twenty questions? Because I was raised that way, okay? I guess it's something to look up to when there's nothing left. Now can I go now?" I had to keep her here; I couldn't let her go like this.

"A mother is God in the eyes of a child… you know that to be true… so who will this baby look up to? Who will it fall back onto when it needs help? A father is a side role, but a mother… a mother is irreplaceable. You know this both from your mother and seeing Dietlinde practically worship you… tell me that you'll take that away from a child that has done absolutely nothing to deserve it," she stared at me wide eyed. Did I finally break through?

"I… want to…" I see a tear in her eye, "So badly… but I can't. I don't want this baby, but…" I get up and embrace her in a hug.

"You can't do that because you're no devil. You'd never take the life of a child… let alone your own…" she sobbed into my shirt.

"I was about to do it… I was really going to do it Shinji… what the hell is wrong with me? I was going to kill a child… my child…" does this mean that she's changed her mind?

"Then… are you going to raise this baby?" I feel her nod.

"Yes… I'll raise it… along side you…"

A/N- Ahhh… a nice long chapter always helps me relax! One thing I completely forgot to add in last time Asuka was pregnant was her mood swings. Sure, I did do it near the end, but I didn't do it the whole way through. I will this time though. So, even though the main theme of this chapter was Asuka's birthday, the main point being made was Asuka's accepting (get it?) of the baby. Okay, originally, none of that crying, accepting, loving stuff was supposed to happen. They were GOING to end up having sex, but this was more dramatic. So, what do you think will happen in the next chapter? No… seriously… I know how it's going to end… but I don't know how the next chapter is going to go down… so no advanced title. Sorry.


	97. Ending It All

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Chapter 97: Ending It All

A/N- This chapter was proof-read by Frost-Eva-04. Thanks for the help!

Asuka's Room – Morning

She's finally accepted it… Asuka has finally accepted this child. For a short while, I really believed that she was going to hold true to what she said. Hell, I KNOW that she was about to go get an abortion, she really would have done that. I can't even put into words how happy I am about this, that she'll help me raise it, that she won't get an abortion. But the question still remains… does she want it now, or did I just send her on a guilt trip, ending with her chickening out of her promises? She wants it now, right? She said that she'll help raise it, not to love it…

"Asuka, it's eleven already, time to get up," I nudge her slightly.

"I had a dream…" was she already awake? "I dreamt of a happy family… they had a little girl…" she looked up at me with teary eyes, "Why do I have to dream of her?" I hug her and try to comfort her. She softly cried into my chest, "I've had that dream so many times… I want it to stop, but I want to see Dietlinde…" how am I supposed to react to this? I can't exactly promise that she'll never have that dream again, it was brought on by HER brain, there's nothing I can do. After a few minutes, the crying subsided and I leaned back to look at her.

"Listen, I can't protect you from them, but I can be there for you when it does happen. If nothing else, remember that," she smiles up at me and wipes away her last tear.

"Thanks… sorry about that…"

"No, don't apologize. It's not your fault," she smiled at me and got out of the bed.

"Okay… I'm going to take a shower," she walked into the bathroom and started the shower. I really hated it when she would cry, but there was nothing I could do aside from simply letting her cry on me. But that somehow always helped, no matter how serious the situation was, I was always able to calm her down… but why me? I mean, I wasn't exactly the strongest person mentally, why would she want the comfort of someone weaker than her? Even though I didn't know the answer to that, I did know that I always had to be there for her.

"Commander Ikari, we need you on the bridge immediately," a woman's voice came over the intercom. I walk over and speak back into it.

"Now's not really a good time, can it wait?" I hear her sigh.

"Sir… it's SEELE…" them again? Crap!

"Okay, I'll be right down," the speaker goes silent and I walk back to the bathroom, "Asuka? I have to go out for awhile, meet me in the bridge, okay?" I hear her sigh over the sound of the water.

"Fine, but what for? You're not getting me another car, are you?" I start to walk out of the room.

"Look, just hurry up and meet me there. I'm sending Cass in here, he'll take you to the bridge," I wasn't about to let her go on her own with SEELE attacking. I leave without giving her time to respond and head for Cass's room. I knock on the door firmly, "Cass, let me in," he opens the door with a confused look.

"Dang, you gotta be so rude?" Sam walks in next to him.

"Sorry, but we have a problem. SEELE is attacking again, and we might need to pilot. Sam, I want you to go get changed and wait in your Eva for my orders. Cass, follow me," Sam runs off to the locker room and I take Cass to my room, "Asuka's in the shower, and she doesn't know about SEELE actually attacking. You're going to take her to the bridge and then get into your Eva, understand?"

"Yeah, but why do I have to take her there? She knows the way, right?" well no duh!

"Yeah, she does, but I'm not letting her go on her own. She killed a lot of people back at SEELE, they're probably here just for her," I walk over to the dresser and take out a left over gun from YY's. It was a simple .9mm, but it'd do, "Take this when you take her there. Don't tell her about the attack or the fact that you even have to gun. Got it?" he takes the gun from me and puts it in his back pocket.

"You think that they're going to try and get to her?"

"I have no idea, but I'd rather be safe about it. Remember, don't say a word about this to her," I walk out of the room and head for the bridge. Why were they attacking again? Did they really want me and Asuka dead that badly? What could we possibly do to harm them? If they never screwed with my daughter then we wouldn't have done any of that! When I finally get there, it seems oddly quiet. A woman came up to me and began to brief me.

"Okay, we spotted a cluster of Evas about two hundred miles from here. Somehow, they're flying across the Pacific to NERV. We expect them to arrive within the next hour," an hour… okay, that gave enough time to figure out what to do here.

"Any idea how many of them there are?" she flipped through a few pages on her clipboard.

"That's the problem; we have a very broad estimate. We're guessing anywhere from fifty to one hundred," That many? Holy crap… we're going to need some help here.

"Damn it… okay, I want the military to help out with this one. Tell them that they have clearance to use whatever forces necessary to help defeat the Evas. Prep Unit 05 and Sam for battle, but don't launch until I give the order. Have Unit 01 and Unit 06 ready for me and Cass, and send Unit 02 and 07 out with a dummy plug. Do not let anyone interact with it until further notice. Cass and Asuka will be here in a few minutes, send Cass to the locker room to get changed and keep Asuka here at all costs. If she gets away, there will be punishment, got it?" Jesus, I sounded like my father. Never knew I could take charge like this.

"Okay, I understand. I have to ask you one more thing though; the Eva that you brought back from SEELE has been copied. We now have two of the 'Unit 08', would you like to use them?" they are more powerful than our Evas…

"Yes, send Cass into one, and have the other sent out with a dummy plug. Instead of putting Cass in Unit 06, send a dummy plug in it. I'm going to go into my Eva, keep me briefed on anything that comes up through the comm. link," I leave and head for the locker room. After changing into my plug suit, I go to the Eva cages and get into my Eva.

"Shinji, is everything okay?" Sam appeared on a small screen to my left. Looks like she's already in her Eva.

"No, far from it. We got at least fifty Evas from SEELE coming here and all we have are six Evas… I ordered that the military help, but all they're really going to do is distract them…" am I sending my friends and hundreds of soldiers to their death? I know that some – if not many – soldiers will die… but it can't be helped.

"Fifty? We can't take on that many! And how the hell do we have eight Evas? I thought we only had four!"

"Yes, but I brought back an Eva from SEELE awhile ago, and NERV made a copy of it. Unit 02, 06, 07 and one of the Unit 08s will be sent out with dumpy plugs," she looked confused now… who wouldn't be?

"Wait… what? Why isn't Asuka piloting?"

"Two reasons. One, she's pregnant and I don't want piloting to affect the baby. Two; she killed a lot of people back at SEELE, she's probably the main reason they're coming…" the woman that spoke to me earlier came up on screen.

"Sir, Cass is entering Unit 08 right now. All of the Evas you requested are fitted with dummy plugs and are ready for battle. Asuka is here-" Asuka pushed the woman aside and began to yell at me.

"What the hell is going on here! You mind telling me why a guy tried to kill me on the way here?" I was right… God damn it…

"SEELE is attacking again…" she loses her glare and gasps, "Are you alright? What did he do to you?" she looked to the ground.

"He tried to strangle me with a wire… Cass… shot him…" she rubbed her fingers across a red line going across her neck. It wasn't bleeding, just a long red line. Damn it… I knew this was going to happen.

"Listen up! I want Asuka under watch from now on. I want someone to know where she is at all times, got it?" the woman nodded in the background.

"I'm going to get changed," Asuka begins to walk off.

"Asuka! Come back here! You're not going out there, I'm sending in a dummy plug in your place," she comes back into the view of the camera.

"Hell no! I'm not going to just stand back and watch!" she once again walks away.

"Someone grab her! Don't let her leave the bridge!" I see a man run by and then I hear struggling, "Don't hurt her! Just restrain her!" the struggling stops and I see Asuka come back on the screen with hands behind her back.

"What the hell is your problem? You just had your wife handcuffed you asshole!" I wasn't going to let her fight…

"I'm sorry Asuka, but you're not going out there. I-" I was cut off by the woman's voice over the comm. link.

"The Evas have entered Japan! There is approximately seventy eight of them. Estimated time of arrival; three minutes!" how'd they get here so fast?

"Okay, Cass are you there?" his screen pops up next to Sam's. He had a distressed look on his face as he stared down, "Cass… thank you for saving her… thank you so much…" he looks up with a smile.

"No problem…"

"Asuka…" she looks up at me, "I love you… take care of the baby for me, okay?" I was going to die in this battle, I just know it. There was no way we were going to survive this, but I wasn't about to go down without a fight. She gasped and before she spoke, I cut back in, "Launch all Evas and send up all available weapons! Is the military in place?" we start to jet towards the surface.

"Yes. We have four hundred warheads on call, one hundred fighter jets, and fifty tanks all in position. We're ready," when we reach the surface the sight of a small white cloud could be seen. I get ready and grab my controls, then I realize something… there was only one control stick.

"Hey, what happened here? There's only one-"

"I know, I had your Eva re-fitted with a new control system," Was that…? "Oh yeah, and thanks for taking care of that asshole!"

"Ritsuko? You're awake?" Her face pops up on a screen smiling.

"Yeah, about an hour ago. Now, I already know what's going on, and so far I think you've made the right decisions, try and keep them up. Okay, enough formalities, you need to take care of those Evas," seriously, she could not have possibly woken up at a better time.

"SEELE's Evas are three hundred yards from you! Prepare to engage!" me, Sam and Cass each grab a rifle and get ready for our last fight.

"You ready guys?" Sam's face once again popped up.

"Yeah…" I felt so bad for sending them out here… but I didn't have a choice in the matter.

"Oh yeah! Time to kick some SEELE ass!" Cass appeared to my left. Just then, they all dropped full force onto the earth, sending a loud, rattling earthquake through the city. They were all the same as Unit 08! Damn it!

"Whoa…" I hear Sam mutter under her breath. Before any of us, Unit 02, 07 and 08 charge and each attack one Eva.

"You sons a bitches are going down!" Cass fires his gun wildly at the group. I drop mine and simply charge at one of them. Sam follows soon after me and grabs one of the Evas by the neck, killing it almost instantly. I rip the arm off of the Eva I was attacking and hurl it at another one, sending it flying across the city.

"The air force has arrived!" a screen popped up with a pilot's face on it, "Squadron Delta is here! Just give the order boss, and we'll drop all the bombs we have on those damn Evas!" a plane flew by, just inches from my head, then followed by four more, "White Bird is here too!" soon, the skies were filled with planes, "Don't forget about us! Hawkeye all the way!" they all pulled off beautiful aerial stunts as they flew, "Razgriz right here!" the whole nation was on our side with this…

"Sam, Cass! Get out of the way! Run as far away as you can! Don't ask questions, just go!" Sam and Cass ran off as I told them to, "Okay, all fighters, drop everything you have! Try and keep out of range of the Evas," I fought off the Evas from following Sam and Cass.

"But Commander, you're still in range of our bombs!"

"DO IT! All available tanks, fire whatever you have! Put it all out there! GO!" the first of many bombs dropped, sending a shockwave through my chest. Many other bombs soon followed. Bullets, warheads, missiles, everything was being shot within a few hundred yards of me. One of them was miss fired and hit me, but I continued to keep all of them in place. I grabbed one by the neck and held it up as one bomb came crashing down.

"SHINJI! Run! Get out of there!" Asuka yelled at me through the comm. link. She had tears in her eyes, obviously scared.

"I love you Asuka…" I see a warhead starting to come down over me, "Take care of yourself…"

"SHI-" I shut off the link and continue to fight.

"Come on you bastards!" for a flicker of a moment, I lost my human side. I go all out attacking the Evas; ripping apart any foe that came across my path. Blood was all over my Eva by now, making quite the horrific sight. One of them came up from behind and wrapped its arms under mine, holding me in place, "Damn it! Let go!" I struggle, but I couldn't get away. Another one comes up in front of me and begins to punch me in the stomach. I bring my head forward and smash it back into the Eva behind me, then kick the other one away. The warhead was coming down… it was so close I could hear it.

I grab another Eva and rip its jaw off, and then stabbed the razor sharp teeth into its neck. I used the limp body as a bat, knocking away and Evas near me. After tearing out my knife, I begin to slash at other Evas, making blood spray everywhere. I look up one last time to see the warhead only yards from my face. The world froze for a moment – I saw everything. I saw it as it slowly penetrated my Eva's face plate, and slowly make its way down through the body, and eventually penetrate my entry plug.

"My sacrifice…"

A/N- Uh oh… Shinji died… looks like what's left of this fic will be in omnipresent view. Not much left anyway, so it's okay. Now that Shinji's gone, what will become of Sam and Cass? Were all of the Evas destroyed in the explosion? Find out in the next chapter; SEELE's Last Stand, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	98. Move On

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Chapter 98: Move On

A/N- This chapter was proof-read by Frost-Eva-04. This chapter was also written in omnipresent view.

Same Place

"SHINJI!" Asuka watched helplessly as a huge explosion engulfed her husband. She fell to her knees sobbing full force, "Shinji!" the man slowly un-cuffed her, feeling that this was not the time for her to be restrained.

"H-He's…" Akagi stared at the screen wide eyed and the pillar of fire grew higher, "Are… are there any life signs?" she looked back onto the bridge staff, all looking away from her and covering their faces.

"No…" Asuka pounded the floor with her fists as she sobbed. Hearing that there were no life signs only made it all the worse.

"Shinji…" Cass stared just as memorized as Ritsuko at the sight.

"What about his AT field?" Akagi desperately tried to find any sign of hope for the child.

"He shut it off right before impact… he had no protection…" it would later be found out that he did this for one specific reason; to simply make a bigger explosion. The boy was so fixated on saving the ones he loved, he sacrificed his own life.

"Pilot Shinji Ikari has… been defeated…" the next leading commander – Fuyutsuki – spoke over the intercom, "Pilots Simmons and Pilot… Cass, engage any remaining – if any – Evas…" only smoke remained over the large battle field, which soon cleared to reveal masses of lifeless Evas, not one standing. Above all of that Evas, a single purple arm stuck up through the hill of Evas, "SEELE has been neutralized…" the sound of Sam whimpering over the comm. could be heard along with Cass trying to hold back tears, and failing.

"He's not dead! Shinji's not dead! It's a lie… he'll make it through like he always does… come on Shinji… get up…" Asuka had her forehead to the ground as she sobbed, "Please… please get up… get up damn you!" his Eva didn't make a move, not even a flinch.

"Cass and Sam… come back to NERV…" the kids do as they were told in silence. After changing back into normal clothes they went to the bridge to see Asuka still sobbing.

"Don't leave me… please don't leave… he's okay… I know he is… he's always okay…" Ritsuko leaned next to Asuka and put an arm around her shoulders, "He won't die… he said it himself that he won't die…" she cried into the doctor's shoulder.

"I know…" she didn't say that he was alive or dead, she was just trying to comfort the widow. In reality, chances are that there is very little – if any – fragments left of him.

"He's okay, right?" she looked up at Akagi with tears running down her face. Ritsuko just closed her eyes and kept quiet, "Right?" she had a begging voise at this point, and was met with another silent answer, "Answer me damnit!"

"No… I'm sorry…" even as a doctor – who was accustomed to death – still cried over this boy.

"You're lying! He's alive!" Asuka was now showing signs of denial, but who wouldn't? A human never wants to face the truth, no matter how much evidence there is. Asuka pushed away from the doctor's grip and ran to her room in tears. No one bothered to follow her, no one even made a move.

"So… Shinji's really gone?" Cass was the only one that didn't have constant rolling tears, but some were present tucked in the corner of his eye.

"Yes… the chances that he is alive are flat zero…" the woman that spoke to him not five minutes ago had tears running down her face, even though she only knew the boy for a very short time.

"I… want the recovery of Unit 01's entry plug by the end of the day… be sure to retrieve any shards of it…" Fuyutsuki once again came over the intercom.

---

Skies Of Tokyo-3 – Same Time

"He died in honor… he died defending his country…" the leader of the squadron Razgriz spoke with a heavy voice, "To all squadrons of Japan… please join me in saluting… Commander Shinji Ikari…" they all formed one large V-shaped flight pattern and jettisoned towards the sky, then did a back flip, ending with all of them falling towards the earth. At the last second, they all bailed out and flew back to base.

---

NERV – One Hour Later

"How's Asuka doing?" Ritsuko was talking to Cass abut the widow. Sam herself was in her room crying softly to herself.

"Not so good. I tried to get into her room awhile ago, but she didn't even make a sound. I think that you should keep a close eye on her, Asuka's mind is most likely unstable right now. She'll do things without thinking about it, remember that. After seeing how she reacted before, I wouldn't put it past her to commit suicide. Just a warning… listen, I gotta go back to Sam. She's getting pretty bad too," Cass waved a shaking hand as he walked out of Ritsuko's office. Heeding Cass's warning, she turned on the camera set up in Asuka's room. After focusing, it showed her on a chair with a rope around her neck. Instead of running to save the girl, Ritsuko stared at the screen.

"You won't do it… you won't kick that chair away…" and she didn't. The German girl simply stood there looking down at the chair holding her from death for ten minutes before getting down.

"I'll do what you said… I'll take care of your baby…" she laid on her bed with her hands on her stomach crying.

"There we go…" Akagi got up from her desk and began to walk out of her office. The retrieval of Unit 01's entry plug began about an hour ago, and still very little progress had been made. She was going down there to either sulk or simply stare at the work being done. She was a professional woman, she couldn't shed TOO many tears, even though she wanted to so badly. Holding back her well-deserved tears, she walked to the sight of Unit 01's plug.

"Any progress? Any at all?" just then, the crane was able to force the plug from under the rubble.

"Actually, yes as of right now…" blood-red LCL poured out of the large hole blown by the warhead, "Ah crap…" Ritsuko had to look away from the sight, she couldn't stand the fact that she was looking at Shinji's innards, "Now why the hell would Fuyutsuki want this?" once all of the LCL was drained, a boy could be seen still sitting in the piloting seat. The plug suit was torn to shreds and most of his skin was burnt off. A very large chunk of his head was blown off and exposing his left lobe, leaving only half a head. The sight – to say the least – was revolting.

"Oh my God…" she couldn't help but stare at the sight. The boy she had grown to love was lifeless sitting in a destroyed entry plug, and there was nothing she could do. Quickly regaining her composure, she closed her eyes, "Have Shinji's remains sent to the research lab. Do not grant any access to that room aside from myself, do you understand?"

"Um… yes ma'am…"

---

Asuka's Room – Same Time

"Shinji's not dead… he's not dead… he promised me that he'd never die… he… he wouldn't lie to me…" Asuka mumbled under her breath as she softly cried. The sobbing had been replaced with an obsessive behavior of his death. Her mind was still refusing to believe that Ikari was gone, it wouldn't allow itself to accept his death.

Asuka was hugging her knees as she sat on her bed. Her face a buried in her knees. This fetal position was what the girl would always convert to when she was alone and crying, but this time, she knew that she'd be alone for the rest of her life. Deep down, she knew that she'd never become social again. With Shinji gone, who would she have to fall back on? He was the only person in her life that she actually loved, and he was gone.

"Asuka?" a knocking at the door and Cass's voice could be heard, "Come on Asuka, let me in, we need to talk about this," she would later regret not letting him in. I could have saved her more trouble than she realized, "I know you're upset, we all are, but you can't just go into submission. You have to come out eventually," Asuka still kept silent, "Fine… I'll just keep on coming back though…" the man walked away with his head hung low.

"I-I won't… I won't give up…" she began to sob once again into her knees.

---

NERV Hospital – Research Lab

"I'm not letting you go Shinji… I refuse to let you go," Ritsuko fumbled with Shinji's dead body in a dark, "I don't give a fuck what 'morals' say, I'm not just going to sit back and watch Asuka go insane…"

A/N- Whoa… wonder what Ritsuko's doing… you all thought that I was playing around with Shinji's death, weren't you? Nope, he's dead. What do you think Ritsuko is doing, huh? How is Asuka doing? Find out in the next chapter; Please Remember, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	99. Please Remember

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Chapter 99: Please Remember

A/N- This chapter was proof-read by Frost-Eva-04. Thanks for the help!

Asuka's Room – Morning

"Asuka! Enough of this! Let me in or I swear I'll break down the door!" even through Cass's yelling, Asuka stayed tucked under her blankets, still in a fetal position. All she wanted was to be left alone, and he wasn't allowing that of her. Why couldn't he just leave her alone? That's all she hoped for, but her hopes were soon crushed as Cass kicks down the door, "Asuka… are you okay?" he slowly walks over to her bedside and sits down next to her. She still didn't make a move, somehow hoping that he would just leave, "Asuka, you know that you've got all of your friends to help you, right?" he sets a hand on her shoulder, making her quiver under the human touch, "Come on out…" he slowly slipped off her covers and looked at her face.

"Please… just leave…" her face was in shambles. Blood shot eyes were being held by bags under her eyes, her face was pale and she had dried tears on her cheeks.

"No, I won't do that," he softly touches her cheek, "God… did you even sleep last night?" she slowly nodded.

"I… couldn't sleep… without Shinji…" she let a tear roll down her face as she closed her eyes.

"Can I do anything for you?" Asuka laid her head back down on the pillow and closed her eyes.

"Just… stay in here… don't leave…" true, she did tell him to leave not thirty seconds ago, but in reality, she wanted him to stay more than anything. Cass began to stroke her hair in an attempt to calm her, and soon enough, she was drifting asleep.

---

Research Lab – Same Time

"Damn it… two already dead… you're one stubborn kid, you know that Shinji?" Ritsuko was on her fourth cup of coffee, and only draining that one. She had been working on something all night, and she had already failed twice, "Come on… don't die…" Akagi stared at the life support, praying that the heart monitor wouldn't give out. After a few hours, the heart was still going strong, "Yes… damn this would have been easier if I knew how Rei was created…" she looked into the large glass tube filled with LCL with a small body in it, small, but quickly growing, "Welcome back…" the body soon grew to the size of a young adult. Akagi flipped a switch on the life support and the LCL began to drain, leaving the man lying on the bottom of the tube, slightly snoring.

---

One Hour Later – Asuka's Room

Cass was still in Asuka's room keeping her asleep as she asked. His hand was still stroking her hair, and ever sense she fell asleep, he had been getting tired himself. Somehow he kept himself awake and alert of her condition. A few minutes later, Akagi comes walking in with her hands in her pockets and smiling.

"Hey Cass…" she drew his attention from the red-haired beauty to her.

"Holy shit… what happened to you?" Ritsuko looked down to see her lab coat covered in blood.

"A miracle… wake Asuka up, I have to show her something," with a shrug, Cass gently nudges Asuka in her back.

"Hey Asuka, time to get up…" she began to stir and soon opened her eyes to look up at the person that kept her company for the last hour, "Rits has something to show you…" he looks over at her, "Something of importance, I hope…"

"Oh, it's very important. Come on Asuka," without a word – or even a facial expression – she gets out of bed and follows Akagi down the hall and into the hospital, "So, how'd ya sleep?" Asuka began to get irritated at Akagi's upbeat tone.

"How the hell do you think I slept? I watched my husband blow up and die… how would you sleep?"

"Well… you're half right with that one… he's not dead… well, anymore. Long story short, Shinji's back," Asuka rolled her eyes and began to walk back to her room.

"Real Goddamn funny Akagi…" Ritsuko grabs her shoulder and pulls her back.

"I'm not joking here. I was able to make a clone of him from the remains in the entry plug. Every detail of him is exactly as it was before the crash; from his scares down to his minute finger print pattern. Oh, I was also able to get his hand back! Don't you want to see him?" though Asuka still didn't believe her worth crap, she decided to follow along with it. When they finally reached one room, Ritsuko opened the door to show Shinji sitting up in the bed reading a book calmly, "There he is…" Asuka's eyes were wide as she stared at her husband.

"Sh-Shin… ji…" she slowly walked over to his bedside and he looked up at her, "Shinji?"

"Um… yeah?" in an instant, she lunges down at him and kisses him deep. The boy laid there stiff as a board, eyes wide as Asuka kissed him. All Akagi did was stand back and smile, feeling a sense of gratification that she actually brought him back. Asuka pulls back and looks at him teary eyed. She just stared at her, still surprised and went into a very deep blush.

"What's up with you?" Asuka smiled and wiped away a tear as she sat next to him.

"Um… well… I-I… uh…" he averted his stare down and stared at his bed sheets.

"Why are you acting like that?"

"I-I've… never… kissed a girl before… sorry…" Asuka jumped back at his comment, but still stayed on the bed.

"What the hell are you talking about? Of course you have! Come on Shinji, quit playing around," she had her smile back on, but Shinji still stared at the sheets as he shook his head.

"N-No… that… that was my first time… and how do you know my name? Have we met?" he finally summed up the courage to look into her now wide eyes. Akagi lost her smile as well and rushed to his bedside.

"Shinji, what is the last thing you remember?" he once again looked at her with a confused face.

"Well… I was sent to some place called NERV… I guess I got into a car accident or something… but seriously, who are you guys?" Ritsuko fall backwards and sat on the floor staring up at her creation.

"Oh my God… I-I skipped a step… I forgot to finish it…" Asuka looked back at Shinji with a serious face.

"Shinji, if you're messing around, now would be the time to cut it out. Are you honestly going to tell me you don't recognize me?" Shinji once again shook his head.

"Nope. I mean, you're the girl who just frenched me, but aside from that, nothing…" he had a nervous smile on, "Oh! I think I've heard of you actually! Yeah, some guy told me about another pilot. You're Asuka, right? Wasn't I supposed to meet you later on? I thought that you were coming her from Germany in a few weeks?" she stared at him with tears once again forming in her eyes, "But aren't you supposed to be my age? I mean, you're what, eighteen?" Asuka lowered her head and began to cry, "Oh… did I say something wrong? Sorry…"

"Shinji… I'm your wife… please tell me that you remember me… we've had a child together… I'm pregnant right now… please tell me you know that…" Shinji chuckled a little bit.

"Sorry, but I think you have me confused with someone else. I'm not married and I'm still a virgin," Asuka shot her head up and glared at him.

"No you're not! I'm Asuka Langley Ikari, our daughter was Dietlinde!" Shinji was backed up as far as he could go against the backboard.

"Um… Dietlinde?" Asuka got up and walked to a wall, making herself face it as she planted a hand on it.

"God damn it… he doesn't remember a thing… Akagi! What did you do to my Shinji?" she turned her head and yelled at the doctor who was still on the floor.

"I-I… forgot to finish his memory alignment… he thinks he's still fourteen…" As then walked over to the doctor and held her up by her collar.

"What the hell do you mean didn't finish? Are you saying that he doesn't remember anything that's happened?" the doctor slowly shook her head as she stared at the ground, "So he thinks he's fourteen?" Akagi nodded, "Damn it… can't you just make another one?"

"No… I used up the last of Shinji's brain tissue with this one… this is the new Shinji…" Asuka dropped the doctor and walked to his bedside, then stared down onto him with a blank face.

"Uh… did I do something wrong?"

"No…" the woman wiped away the last of her tears and smiled, "That was my mistake, sorry bout that," she puts out her hand to him, "My name's Asuka Langley Ika-… Souryu, nice to meet you," with a smile, Shinji took her hand and shook it.

"You too… so… can I leave?" he looked down at Ritsuko still on the floor.

"Yeah…" she looked up at Asuka, "Asuka… I'm so sorry…"

"Sorry for what?" Asuka and Shinji begin to walk out of the room, "You did your job. Shinji here got into an accident, you saved him," Asuka felt the strong urge to hold Shinji's hand as they walked, but she refrained from it. This was no longer her husband, but more of a friend-to-be. She looked over at Shinji, who was looking down at his body, "You okay?"

"Uh… I dunno… what's up with my body? Since when did I actually have to shave?" though his mind was that of a fourteen year old, he was still in his seventeen year body. Those three simple years had changed Shinji's body drastically due to hormones, making him look almost like a different person.

"You… you were in a coma for a few years, that's why that doctor back there was freaking out," Shinji stopped in his tracks, frozen by the sudden 'realization'.

"How old am I? What's the year?" he looked up at her with almost begging eyes.

"You? You're seventeen, and it's two-thousand eighteen… but don't freak out, you're awake now, and that's all that matters," remembering how Shinji was back when he was actually fourteen, she tried to keep him calm.

"And why – may I ask – am I actually muscular?" he poked at his stomach, which was very close to becoming a six pack, "Shouldn't I be like, scrawny after being asleep that long?"

"Well… yeah but…" she quickly came up with a lie, "There's some kind of medicine made for coma victims that that keeps their muscle mass up," she thought that it was a pretty good lie. How would he know how far technology has come?

"Well… you can't just take a pill and hope for results like this… I mean, I understand keeping what you had, but to actually build on it without any work is impossible, that's been proven," once again, Asuka recovered from the boy's intellect.

"Nah, that theory was full of it. Look, just forget about it, let me take you to your room," as they walked down the hallway, they eventually came to Cass leaning on the wall. He turned to look at Asuka, and went wide eyed as he saw Shinji standing next to her.

"Holy crap!" he ran over and actually picked up Shinji in a hug, "Yes! Man you're alive!" Shinji – still stunned that he was being picked up by a stranger who knew his name – stayed stiff as a board.

"Cass! Put him down!" Asuka yelled at him and he did what he was told, "Come here, I need to talk with you," she guides him a little further down the hall, away from ear shot of Shinji, "To answer any oncoming questions; yes, Akagi cloned him, but she screwed up. He doesn't remember anything past from when he first came to NERV. You, me, Sam, Rits, he doesn't remember anyone. In fact, he still thinks he's fourteen. So, any questions?" Asuka's brief explanation left him baffled to say the least.

"I hope you're joking…" he looked back at Shinji who was messing with the door's keypad, "Please tell me you're joking," an alarm went off from the keypad and Shinji jumped back. He saw the two adults staring at him and blushed.

"Sorry… think I set off an alarm or something…" he laughed nervously.

"Shit…" Cass is taking in the fact that what Asuka just said was true, "Can't she just make another one?" Asuka closed her eyes and shook her head.

"No… this is the last possible one…" a small tear leaks from her closed eye, "He's gone… my husband's gone…" slowly; Cass took her into his arms, trying to comfort her.

"No he's not; he's standing right behind you. He may have a few lost memories, but that's still him," Shinji just stared at the crying girl, not knowing what to do.

"A few? Cass, that was three years gone… he doesn't even know my name!" she cried a little heavier into his shoulder, "How can we ever be the same when he can't remember anything about me? Our wedding, our children, he doesn't see any of it as his!" Cass brought her back and looked into her teary eyes.

"Then remind him," actually, there wasn't a matter of remembering. This wasn't a case of amnesia, he didn't have those memories. They simply don't exist, and never existed in this Shinji. Asuka wiped away her tears as best as she could.

"I can't… Shinji, come on," she walks into her room – now without a door – and Shinji follows in after her, "There's a fridge full of food, a bathroom, the basics. Feel free to make yourself at home here," Shinji jumped back a little.

"I-I'm sleeping in here? With you? What about your family that you talked about before?" Asuka smiled as best as she could.

"Forget about them, and yeah, you're living in here from now on," Shinji awkwardly sat down on the sofa, "You okay?"

"Yeah… it's just really weird… I've been awake what, five minutes now? I've already gotten my first kiss, I'm sleeping in a room with YOU, and people are staring at me like I'm a monster… is that normal?" Asuka couldn't help but chuckle.

"Long story, as for the kiss, think of it as a welcoming gift," right then, Shinji thought that he should go into comas more often.

"Wait… what about the angels? Was there a third impact while I was asleep?"

"Um… no…" frantically, she came up with yet another lie, "We defeated them all I don't know if you heard about her, but Rei was the only one that actually died fighting. Sam and Cass – the other two pilots – are the main reason none of that happened," even if Shinji DID remember all of the last three years, he still would have agreed with her. Sam and Cass had been proven to be invaluable in combat.

"Oh… so… what's the point of staying here?"

"In case another threat arises. You see, while you were asleep, another form of enemies came up, the seven sins. Each one represented a different sin, Greed, Lust, Gluttony, Wrath, Sloth, Pride and Envy," Asuka shuttered as she spoke the last word.

"Oh… so basically, I'm going to be here for the rest of my life?" Asuka nods, hoping it won't freak him out, "YES! Finally away from those assholes!" Asuka jumped back at what he said. She had never heard of where he came from, so how would she know what he was talking about? "Sorry…"

A/N- Hey, I didn't lie. Shinji is dead, just the Shinji we know. So yeah, talk about a plot twist, huh? All of the memories, all of the love, everything (including 332 pages of text) gone! Not much I can really say here, but find out what happens in the next chapter; Nightmares, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	100. Nightmares

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Chapter 100: Nightmares

A/N- This chapter was proof-read by Frost-Eva-04. Thanks again for the help!

A/A/N- WOO! One hundred chapters! I finally broke the one hundred marker! On top of that, I also broke… okay, YOU broke 500 reviews! Thanks for reviewing! Okay, this chapter and the next few will be written in first person view with Asuka.

That Night – 8:00 PM

After we got all of the formalities out of the way when he first woke up, we've basically been watching TV. I had to stop myself from leaning on his shoulder at least four times. How am I supposed to break that habit? He was always there for me whether it was when I was crying or just someone to be with, he never left me alone. What am I supposed to do now that he's gone?

"You hungry?" out of nowhere, he turns and breaks me from my deep thought.

"Um… sure, I'll go make something," there goes my cook…

"No, it's okay, I'll do it. Thanks though," I sit back down and just let him fend for himself. Might as well treat him the same as when we first met… not that I CAN do that to that extent anymore.

"Need help finding the stuff?" damnit Asuka! Let him do it by himself!

"No thank you," he reached down under the stove and pulled out the pans, then went to get the food… how the hell?

"Shinji? How'd you know where all of that was?" he shrugs as he begins to make whatever the hell he had in mind.

"Dunno, just a guess. Pots and pans are normally under the stove, and food is normally in the fridge!" okay… I may have over looked that little detail, "So, what do you want?" looks like he already had something in mind…

"I don't care, anything you want," as he began to cook, I realize that I couldn't keep my eyes off of him. Watching him like this was weird, he's fourteen on the inside, but physically he's seventeen, damn near a man. His attitude and body just don't match. In fact, his attitude is kinda getting on my nerves. He agrees with everything I'm saying! I liked it better when he put up a fight!

"So, if you don't mind my asking, where's that Dietlinde you told me about before? She's your daughter, right?" did he have to bring this up? This of all things?

"Yeah, she… was. She passed away a few months ago…" he didn't even remember that…

"Oh… I'm sorry about that… what about the other child? You said you had two," you'd think after what I just said he'd keep away from the subject of children… apparently not.

"Well, it's going to be two. I'm pregnant," he damn near spills the pot of boiling water on himself!

"Y-You're… pregnant? By who? The same guy?" Jesus Christ! He really needs to learn to think before he opens his mouth!

"YES! I'm not some whore off the streets!" I came so close to yelling at him for actually saying that when he's the father…

"Oh… sorry… so was that one man the father? The one that you were hugging before?" drop it already!

"No, he's… gone… he died a few days ago…" hey, I wasn't lying, in my mind, Shinji was dead. All that I saw was his shell, nothing more.

"Sorry…" finally, he shut up! Every damn sentence made me feel worse and worse! After I said that about Shinji being dead, I realized something… legally, I'm still married… I'm married to a fourteen year old!

"Okay, food's ready," I hear him set down two bowls and take his seat, "Hope you like ramen," it's all I ate at Misato's, sure as hell better like it!

"Yeah, that's fine, thanks," knowing that at least his cooking skill didn't get lost, I dig in knowing it'll be fine, "Oh hey, I've been meaning to ask you," for three years now, "Where did you live before you came to NERV?"

"With my aunt and uncle… I hated every minute of it. After… my mother died, my son of a bitch father sent me there. Now all of the sudden he wants me back… arrogant asshole…" I set down my sticks and glare at him.

"You should really try and get to know people before you judge. He's a better man then you think," he glares right back at me.

"Yeah right! Have you met the man? He abandoned me when I was two!"

"That MAN saved my life! He paid for my wedding, he gave my husband the commander position of NERV, and above all, he sacrificed himself for me! Don't you EVER insult him in my presents again!" he was surprised to say the least at my reaction.

"He's… dead?" I saw a small smile escape his lips, but I brushed it off, "So, who's the commander now?"

"Like you care…" was he still head of NERV? I mean, he's technically alive and well…

"I do!" I slam my hands on the table as I jet to my feet.

"Bull shit! I know exactly how you feel!" mainly because I know of how he acted when I first met him.

"You don't know crap about me!" I storm out of the room, knocking over the chair as I do.

"Like hell I don't!" I slam the door on my way out. How could he say that? He never acted like this, even when he first moved in! What's with the sudden change of attitude? Was the topic of his father really that touchy? Even if, what makes him think he can talk to me like that? I go the only place I could think of – Sam and Cass's room. I knock on the door, "Hey, it's me, can I come in?"

"Y-Yeah…" it sounded like Sam just saw a ghost! I walk in to see her pale-faced staring at me, "A-Are you… okay?"

"Fine, why?" Sam raises an eyebrow… has Cass not told her yet?

"Well… Shinji…"

"Yes, I know, he's an asshole," her eyes go wide.

"Asuka! How could you say that? He was your husband!" damnit Cass! Why didn't you tell her?

"Ugh… I'll make this as quick as possible. Ritsuko got Shinji's body, she made a clone, she screwed up BIG time and ended up erasing his memory from after he first came to NERV, he doesn't remember crap about me, you, Cass, or anybody for that matter, and now he's a royal asshole. That about sums it up," to say the least, she was surprised. She damn near fainted!

"So… Shinji's alive?"

"Correction, fourteen year old Shinji is alive, the other one is gone for good…" I feel my jaw cramp up, "Akagi… says that it's impossible for him to remember… he doesn't even know my name…" I couldn't hold it back anymore, I fall to my knees crying. I hate to cry… but I can't help it… "Shinji's gone… three years… wasted…" stop crying!

"Asuka…" once again, Cass is the one to comfort me. He… was actually pretty nice… "Look at me," he puts his finger under my chin and makes me look at him, "Shinji is still in there, I don't care what any damn machine says, your husband is still alive. All he needs is a little push. You're Asuka Langley Ikari… IKARI, got that? You're married to one of the strongest men on the planet, there is no way he's simply gone. You have never been one to pass up a challenge, so go for it. Think of it as payback for all the times he's saved you…" he was really there for me… he was acting like a second Shinji. I still can't believe that he's really in there, but just hearing Cass talk like that helped a little.

"Thanks… but I-" he put his finger over my lips.

"Ah, no buts. You WILL get him back, and you WILL save him," in one ear and out the other basically, I didn't hear a word he just said. I was mesmerized by the intensity in his eyes, I've never seen him like this before… he looked like he'd be able to do anything he wanted right now. Why did he look like this? What was up with him? It's… fairly attracting… not sexually! I mean I feel attracted to him because I feel like he's actually able to help… damn, I'm a married woman for God's sake!

"Okay… looks like I need to go apologize… again…" how many times am I going to have to apologize to him today?

"Good luck Asuka," I walked out of the room and wiped away my tears as best as I could. When I get back into my room, I see him laying on the sofa, apparently already asleep.

"Ah damnit… went to bed angry…" I turn off all the lights and – after pulling up the knocked down door – climb into bed myself. Just like when we were on the sofa, I had to fight TWO habits. One being the fact that he wasn't in here with me, so I didn't have anything to cling to. The second one stopping myself from disrobing down to my bra and panties! Normally when I would sleep with him, I'd either be in a loose fitting shirt with panties, a bra and panties, or – on special occasions – nothing at all… I liked those the best! So, being extremely uncomfortable without him and actually being fully dressed, it was going to take me awhile to get to sleep. Out of nowhere, I start to hear him humming… what is that so-… oh my God… just as suddenly as it began, it disappeared.

"I'm… sorry about before… I didn't mean to offend you…"

"Don't stop, keep humming." Was that…

"Huh? Why?"

"Just do it!" after a few seconds, he began to hum again, "Shinji, where did you learn that song?"

"I dunno, I just kinda heard that tune in my head… pretty good huh?" he once again began to hum the melody. After a few bars, I come in doing the same thing… what was going on? "Why do I feel sad when I hear that? I mean, my heart literally hurts when I hear it…"

"Just… just go to sleep… I'll talk to you tomorrow…" I hear him sigh and roll over. How the hell did he know that song? I'm actually getting freaked out now…

---

3:00 AM

"Mmmm…" I wake up to a very load moaning coming from Shinji. The moaning continues for a few minutes, so I get up and walk over to his side. He was drenched in sweat! His hair was literally dripping wet!

"Shinji, wake up," I gently nudge him, "Shinji, are you okay?" he jets up panting heavily with his eyes wide open, "Shinji?" he looks over at me and begins to get teary eyed. Before I could react, he lunges at me and cries into my shoulder.

"Oh my God… what was that?" what the hell? I don't care if he has a fourteen year old mind or not, you don't cry like this over a nightmare!

"What was what?" he gripped me a little tighter.

"A… a baby… what happened to her?" was he talking about… no…

"What happened?"

"A baby… she was killed… she was killed so horribly… why am I so terrified of this?" this had to just be a coincidence, there was no way he was dreaming of her, it's just impossible.

"Do you know her?"

"I… don't know… I think so… but I've never seen her before… God, what the hell is wrong with me?" this… this was impossible… how could he remember her?

"You'll be okay, I'm here…" God, I sounded like mother with a crying child, "It was only a dream," to HIM! After awhile, he falls asleep on my shoulder, still holding me… was this my Shinji? Sure, it looked like him… but he wasn't in there… I think… slowly, I set him back down onto the sofa and go back into my bed.

A/N- Like I said, sticking with it. So, I finally broke 100 chapters! It's about time is all I can say! Glad you all stuck with me on this one, thanks for that. How do you think Asuka is going to move on? WILL she move on? Find out in the next chapter; A Flawed Choice, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	101. A Flawed Choice

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Chapter 101: A Flawed Choice

A/N- This chapter was proof-read by Frost-Eva-04. Thanks again for the help!

Asuka's Room – Morning – 8:00 AM

I wake up to the sound of grease spitting and a man yelping… Shinji. I lift my head to see him in front of the stove sucking on his palm.

"Damn grease…" with a quick shaking of his hand, he goes back to cooking whatever he started, "Hope Asuka likes bacon…" I simply sit up in bed carefully and watch him cook. That's about the only that hasn't changed about him, he still cooks great meals.

"I do…" he jumps out of his skin as he whips around to meet my eyes, "Thanks for making breakfast," he was still panting!

"Um… y-yeah…" shaking off what just happened, he once again goes back to the meal.

"Are… you okay?" I was kinda worried about last night; I haven't seen him cry like that since the whole thing with Dietlinde…

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" avoiding the subject; so like him!

"You cried last night about a nightmare… something about a baby?" I didn't want him to know that I knew about the baby, it might freak him out. Hell, if he's not emotionally scarred by now, he'll never be!

"Huh? What are you talking about? I never even woke up," okay, I knew that crying wasn't exactly the manliest thing to do, but to deny it? Come on! He was sobbing like a baby!

"Come on Shinji, don't lie, just talk about it. It's not like I haven't seen anything like that before!" he looks back at me and raises an eyebrow.

"Sorry, but nothing like that happened," his face was serious… I was normally able to tell when he was lying, but I can't see that in him right now… "You must have been dreaming," I know I wasn't dreaming…

"Yeah… sorry," then what was he doing? Why didn't he remember it? I had to admit, this new Shinji confuses me… "I'm going to take a shower, thanks again for the breakfast."

"Okay, no problem," I get up and walk into the bathroom. Why wasn't it ever simple in my life? There was always some kind of problem, even in the most joyful of moments. Even our wedding was ruined by some asshole trying to kill us! Come to think of it, have we ever had a happy moment that lasted? I can think of one that lasted about two weeks… the last day of our vacation. But then we found out I was pregnant, so that kind of ruined it.

I turned on the water and disrobed. Like always, I take a few seconds to look at the cluster of scars on my back. All of that caused by a few drinks, and on top of that, the pain was worse than giving birth! Then, hidden in the middle of all of the scars, a lone bullet hole sits. By now, I've realized that I wasn't only lucky that my baby lived, but that I'm alive. It wasn't even half an inch away from my spine, just one false move back then would have killed me. It's not that I'm complaining about them, it's just – now at least – a way of remembering Shinji. Before it was sulking, yes, I admit that. Every detail of my body was close to perfect, except for my back. Shinji never seemed to mind or even care for that matter. I know that he always says that he loves me for me, not my looks, but I know they help! I mean, I actually want to look good for him; I want him to always look at me with a smile because of my looks. Even if we were simply passing each other on the street, I know that he'd hold back a smile. I'm glad that he does think that way about me, I spend more then a fair share in here trying to make it all perfect, and I want it to be noticed… and it does… just not by my husband… what's the point anymore? Ever since I started to date him, he was always the reason for me wanting to look like this, but now that he's gone… I just don't have that drive anymore… hell, I barely have the drive to get up in the morning.

I climb into the hot water and once again start to make my self up. At least five shampoos, conditioners, and body washes lined the wall… why am I still using them? Why make myself look beautiful for a fourteen year old? And yet I wasn't able to force myself away from it… habit I guess. Or was it something more? Was it my way of remembering Shinji? I don't want to forget about him, but I don't want this pain anymore… it finally hit me… I want to die. I actually want to die… I put down the shampoo and walk out of the shower, leaving the water running. I reach into the medicine cabinet and grabbed the first thing that I saw – anything will do it.

"I'm sorry…" I'm breaking my promise to him… I'm not taking care of the baby… I'm killing it. I can't live like this anymore… I just want to be with MY Shinji again. With any luck, maybe Akagi will do the same thing she did to Shinji to me, we'd be able to start over without either of us remembering any of the past… but I didn't want that… I just want to vanish. I stare down at the bottle in my hands 'Hydrocodone' written across the top. 'Do not exceed two tablets within one day. Seek immediate medical attention in case of over dose.' I don't even know what the hell this is; I've never seen it before… like it matters. With a shaking hand, I reach in and grab one of the white tablets… and swallow it as quickly as I could. I'm killing my baby and myself… what will become of me? Hell? Heaven? I don't care… I grab another pill and swallow it, cringing the whole way. "I'm sorry…" once again, I reach in the bottle and pull out a pill. Number three… this is my last chance to back out… I slam my eyes shut and shove the pill down my throat.

"Hey Asuka, I was thinking, you want to go out for awhile? Not like, on a date, I mean just for fun. We could bring that one guy you were with before if you want."

"S-Sure…" I grab another pill and swallow it. I can feel tears starting to form in my eyes, but I ignore them as best as I could.

"I've been meaning to say something to you… thanks for being there when I woke up… I would have been lost without you. Thanks for being the only person that cared enough to help me," just as I swallow the fifth pill, I freeze.

"D-Don't worry about it…" I set the bottle down on the counter and sit on the toilet… why didn't I want to die anymore? A voice is telling me to go on… but why? What purpose do I serve now? Shinji… that Shinji… he's the one… it's too late anyway, I'm done. I've already more than doubled the dose… I'm going to die. I can already feel my head starting to spin… I want to live… come on Asuka… hold on. Tears fall onto my thighs as I begin to cry more heavily. My stomach is killing me as it absorbs the medicine. I start to cry into my hands and wait for death.

I'm done, my life is about to end. There is no getting out of this one like the countless other times, I'm really going to die… but I don't want that anymore! Ten minutes. I sat there ten minutes slowly succumbing to the over dose. My eyes felt like they were about to bust from their sockets, my stomach felt like it was on fire… I didn't know it would hurt this much… my head pops up as something comes to mind… moving as fast as I could, I get off the toilet and lean over it. Without a second thought, I stick two fingers down my throat, making me gag… a few seconds later I vomited… four very small pills were in the toilet… please live… don't let that get to me…

"Okay, breakfast is ready whenever you are!" I could have severely damaged my baby right there… it probably is absorbing a small dose of it right now. I try to brush it off and get up with shaking legs. I turn off the water and flush the toilet, sending my mistake down the drain. Still slightly crying, I dry myself off and get dressed. After trying to make myself look as if I wasn't crying – which I failed miserably at – I walk out and sit down at the table to see a full platter of food in front of me.

"You made all of this?" he stared at me with a concerned face.

"Yeah… are you okay?" like I said, I failed.

"Yeah… just some bad memories…" I take the first bite of food… it was actually pretty damn good! Needless to say, I wasn't exactly in the mood to eat after vomiting, but I couldn't let him know what just happened. Damn… my head is really starting to hurt… I try to ignore it as best as I could. Some of the effects were warring off, but some held strong. My stomach – for one – was emitting unbearable pain.

"Do you still want to go out?" he made it sound like we were dating! I chuckle through the pain.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Any idea where you want to go?" the room starts to spin… hold on Asuka…

"No idea, I've only been here for a few hours… well, AWAKE at least," I put my elbow on the table and lean my head against my palm, "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah… just a headache…" I feel a tear start to form in my eye due to the pain. Don't cry damn it! "Uh…" I couldn't help but let out a small grunt. The tear finally builds up and falls to the table.

"Asuka?"

"I'm… I'm fine…" my muscles give out and I fall out of my chair and land on the floor hard. Shinji leaps up and comes to my side, trying to prop me up. As the room becomes blurry, I stare at his worried face; "I love you…" the blackness finally comes and engulfs me. You finally got what you wanted Asuka. You finally died.

---

"You killed her," slowly, I open my eyes to find that I'm in pitch black darkness. Is this hell or Heaven? "You killed her," the voice repeated itself, "You killed her, and you don't care."

"K-Killed who?" my head still hurt slightly, and I found it impossible to get up.

"You killed both of them, and you still don't care," I struggle to get up, but I simply couldn't.

"Killed who damn it?" I had a harsh voice that echoed through wherever the hell I was.

"You didn't even give her a chance," this voice… it sounded familiar… but I couldn't place what it was. It sounded like a woman's… defiantly German… who was it?

"Who the hell are you!" I was yelling into the air at this point.

"You killed him too. You killed everyone you cared about… or seemingly cared about," who was this bitch talking about? I haven't killed anyone… aside from the men at SEELE… but that's different, "You killed your own daughter. Shinji wanted to help her, but you held him back trying to pass on your pride. Because of you, she was tortured and killed. You have caused nothing but stress and anguish for you husband. You think he sacrificed himself for you? No, he turned off his AT field simply to end the constant pain of his life that YOU have caused," me? I… no, I didn't do that…

"You're… lying… I made him happy…" tears start to run down my face.

"Bullshit. You stole his daughter from him, and you couldn't even hold out his last wish of you."

"I didn't do that! Gahiji killed her, not me!" the woman chuckles.

"But Shinji could have stopped him, no? Gahiji was a mere child, Shinji was a man. He could have easily stopped him from killing Dietlinde, instead YOU held him back," that was true… but… did he see that as my fault?

"N-No…"

"Yes. You did all of this. You brought this upon yourself. The least you could have done for him is love him back, you just played along. He would have gladly handed over his soul to the devil just to make you happy, and that's exactly what he did. He married you, he gave you two children, and in the end, he couldn't stand it anymore. He always knew that you didn't love him, but that whole time he tried to make it true. In the end, he threw himself into the pits of hell just to get away from you," that… that wasn't true… he did love me… and I loved him…

"Stop it…"

"No, I'm not going to stop. You never loved him, admit it. The first night you two had sex you just saw it as a quick fuck. You sure made it a point to say 'I love you' a lot during the act, why? You didn't love him! You just wanted the experience of having a man inside you, that's it. You didn't like your first time, so you wanted to prove that you could handle it, and you did, I'll give that to you. Admit it, you didn't do that for him, you did it simply to feel yourself succumb to a man," I wasn't some whore!

"That's a Goddamn lie! I DID love him!"

"Then why did you leave him?" was she talking about that other Shinji?

"Because that wasn't Shinji! That was just a fourteen year old in Shinji's body!" the woman once again chuckled.

"So stupid… well, looks like you were once again bailed out of a problem YOU created by someone else. Think about what I said; you're nothing but a bitch that contributes absolutely nothing to the world."

---

NERV Hospital – 3:00 PM

I open my eyes in a panic to see myself in a large white room hooked up to life support. I was drenched in sweat and breathing very heavily. What just happened? Where was I? Shinji was asleep in a chair next to my bed with a book still in his hands. 'Winning Her' was written across the book… that woman was right… he already loved me? Well, I guess that it happened the first time; he probably just grew closer to me faster. Truthfully, I don't know what I'm going to say when he does tell me… I want to say yes like last time, but I want to say no because that's not really him. I just don't know…

"Asuka…" great, now he was dreaming about me! Suddenly, I see Akagi walk in the room.

"Oh, you're awake…" she glared at me, "Shinji, wake up," she nudged him, "Shinji," he slowly opens his eyes and immediately hides the book under his shirt, "I'm going to need for you to wait outside, I need to do a checkup on Asuka."

"Oh… okay…" he drug his feet as he walked out. Akagi turned back around and went back to glaring at me.

"You mind telling me why you had that crap in your system?" great, now I'm going to get a lecture from her of all people…

"Because I tried to kill myself," might as well be upfront with it, right? "I wanted to die… I couldn't live without Shinji anymore…"

"You're never going to accept it, are you? You're just going to sulk for the rest of your life?" I wanted the rest of my life to end right there! After hearing that woman talk… I don't exactly WANT to die; I would just be fine with it. I really have nothing to live for… "You do know that your baby is most likely dead right now, right?"

"What? Please tell me you're kidding!" no… I didn't want that part of me to die…

"Not xat all. What did you expect? You gave it damn near half its body weight in drugs! I had to do a complete blood transfusion on you!" what if it really is dead? Did I just kill it?

"Is… she alright?" Akagi rolled her eyes.

"Already deciding the fucking sex of it… let me put it this way, it doesn't matter! Like I said, it's probably dead right now!" did I just say 'she'? Probably just habit…

"Is there any way to check?" please don't let it be dead… for the love of God…

"Yeah…" she rolls over a small cart with… 'tools' on it that I always dread when I go in for a checkup.

"So now you're a gynecologist?" did she have to be the one to do this? Anyone but her! Seriously, I'd rather have Shinji do it than HER! She didn't say a word as she started it, "Damn that's cold!" a few minutes and countless blushes later, she leans back up and looks at me.

"You're one lucky girl Asuka… its fine. I still don't know how it is mentally, but physically it's fine. You're still not out of the woods yet though, it could still have severe brain damage…" God… what have I done to my child? To OUR child? I feel like complete shit…

"Am… I able to leave?" I still felt obligated to follow through with my promise to Shinji.

"Yeah, if you want, just watch how much physical activity you do, okay?" she sure had a mood swing!

"Yeah… does Shinji know what I did?"

"No, I didn't tell him, but he's not stupid. He could know," slowly, I get out of bed on wobbly legs.

"Okay, thanks… you got my clothes?" I always hated these damn night gowns they gave you, too revealing. She walked over to a table and picked up my old clothes then handed them to me.

"Shinji told me about you two going out for awhile… are you going to get together again? I mean, legally he's still your husband, but I mean emotionally," big mouthed Shinji…

"I don't know… I just don't know…"

A/N- Ouch… Asuka almost died… again. Well, looks like Shinji is falling in love with her all over again! What do you think will happen on the next chapter? Will Shinji get a yes or a no? Find out in the next chapter; A Day Out, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	102. A Day Out

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Chapter 102: A Day Out

A/N- This chapter was proof-read by Frost-Eva-04.

Asuka/Shinji's Room – A Few Minutes Later

"Sorry I put you through that, I don't know what happened," we were walking back into my room after I left the hospital, "But thanks for getting help…" without giving him time to react, I peck him on the cheek, "You saved my life…"

"I-I… uh… n-no problem…" he blushed deeply. So like him!

"Go ahead and get changed then we can go," he kept his head down as he grabbed clothes out of the closet and walked into the bathroom. After a few seconds, I hear a sound coming from the bathroom… a lot of sound.

"Holy crap!" sounds like he just got a look at his body! Should have seen that coming, he still thinks he's still fourteen… a lot has changed sense then! Puberty sure scared the hell out of him! A few minutes later he walks back out with an even deeper blush, "You could have warned me before I got dressed…"

"Yeah, sorry about that… I got some bad news for you though… you gotta shave. Five-o-clock shadow just isn't your look…" he rolls his eyes as he walks back into the bathroom. Good thing he had an electric shaver! He'd end up walking out with toilet paper all over his face if he didn't! He once again walks out with a clear face.

"Any more surprises?" I chuckle.

"Nah, that's about it. Ready?" he nods and we walk out to the parking lot… I think I should drive! When he sees my car he nearly faints.

"T-This is your car! How did you afford this?" I didn't…

"My husband bought it for me before he passed away… pretty nice huh?" my husband didn't pass away…

"Yeah… really!" he was standing right next to me…

"You gonna just stare at it all day or get in?" my husband was right here…

"Sorry…" why did it take me so long to see it? Shinji is right here, MY Shinji is right here. He might not remember any of it, but we still share a bond that won't – that can't – be broken.

"So, where do you want to go?" he simply shrugs.

"I don't know my way around here, you choose," with a smile, I drive off. I knew exactly where to go.

"Hey Shinji, if you don't mind me asking, what was it like where you used to live?" I never knew about his past before NERV, so might as well find out now, right?

"Well, like I said before, after my mother died I was sent to my aunt and uncle's house… they were both assholes. My uncle was a raging alcoholic – a mean one at that. He would occasionally lose his temper when he was drunk and hit me. To my knowledge, he never hit my aunt though. She was – in short – a bitch. She rarely even spoke to me, but when she did, it was always a command to do something around the house, normally cooking. I learned to cook over a flaming stove at seven. I still remember standing on a chair to reach the stove…" he chuckled a little, "I remember one time when both of them were drunk – my aunt rarely drank, but when she did, it was a lot – I made chili for dinner. Instead of using ground beef for the meat, I used their cat's litter box! Needless to say I didn't eat that night… but they ate every last bite!" he busted out laughing. I had to admit, that was funny as hell. Who would have thought that he went though such hell before he moved here? I wonder if Gendo knew about all that…

"Wow… vengeful brat!" I playfully slap him on the shoulder.

"Yeah well, they deserved it! Man I hated them!" his laughing stopped and he calmed down a bit, "So, where are we going?"

"The beach…" our beach…

"The beach? But I didn't bring any trunks or anything!"

"Don't worry about it; we can just hang out there. I need a tan anyways…" I did too! I was starting to get pretty white! Shinji on the other hand was fairly dark. How Akagi managed to get even his skin color back the way it was before was beyond me!

"Oh… okay…"

"Like I'd let you see me in a two-piece anyway!" might as well embarrass him… I'm bored. His blush once again came on and he didn't say a word, "You really need to loosen up!"

"Sorry…" man I hated that! I need to break that habit of his before he drives me insane! It took me almost a full year before to do that… I hope it's easier this time!

"Quit apologizing for things you didn't do, it's kinda annoying."

"Okay… how about you tell me a little bit about your past? I barely know anything about you!" damn it… I have to tell THIS story again.

"Wow… you're asking a lot here. Okay, this is a long story, so get comfortable. I was raised in Germany from the time I was born until I was deported to Japan when I was fourteen. My good for nothing father walked out on my mother, leaving her a single parent. She was half Japanese herself, and my father was full German. Well, up until I was seven my mother was fine, but then she went mentally insane from the stress of being a single parent. That's how NERV heard of me. I had only one parent that the government knew of, and the other one wasn't able to care for me. So they took me in and began to train me to pilot an Eva. That's a whole different story though. Well, I would visit my mother every day to see her. Remember, I'm only seven at the time; I was still very attached to her. Then when I was getting closer to eight I run into her room to see her hanging from the ceiling…" I hear a small gasp escape from his throat, "Yeah… well, she also had a doll with red hair hanging next to her… she saw that doll as me. She wanted to kill me…" saying that really doesn't affect me anymore. I really don't care what she did; I have my own family now.

"Wow… so then after you moved to Japan, what happened?" I was fairly surprised that he wanted me to go on.

"Oh yeah, okay, well when I moved here I had already learned Japanese, so I was fine. Then I met my husband for the first time… he was such a wimp back then. I actually hated him for a short while. I ended up having to move in with him and Major Katsuragi – she was the commanding Major of NERV. Life went on as normal, we fought angels, we fought each other, typical behavior," yeah, for a superhero! "Then, after the fourteenth angel, Shi-…" I stop myself from saying his name, "He got us into a collage party by flashing his NERV ID. We both thought it was a fun idea, you know, hang out with older, seemingly 'cooler' kids then us, what could go wrong, right? Well… a lot went wrong…" memories of that night come rushing back to me, "I… I was... raped when we were there…" another gasp emits from him.

"Oh my God…"

"Yeah… I was only fourteen, and I had just lost my virginity to some eighteen year old stranger… I was terrified. My husband-to-be beat the living shit out of the guy and took me home… he took care of me that night… he never left my side…" that wasn't entirely true, but it was close enough, "Not too long after he told me that he loved me at the very beach that we're going to right now. 'Nothing will ever change that.' That was his promise to me. He said that he'd love me no matter what, and that held true until he died. So yeah, that is Asuka Langley Ik-… Souryu…" damn it… again!

"You really loved him, didn't you?" I still do love you…

"Yeah… I did… with all of my heart…" look down at my wedding ring, "And I know he still feels the same way…" I KNOW he does…

"I'm sure he does. He sounded like a great man, Asuka… you were lucky to have him," I'm lucky to have him now… God I want to say 'I love you' so badly right now…

"Yeah…" the rest of the drive – which was only a few minutes – was in silence. When we finally got to the beach I took him to the exact same spot we were that day, "Well, this is it. This is where he finally said those three words to me," sadly, I didn't say them to him.

"Wow… nice choice of setting on his part!" he fell back onto the sand and put his hands behind his head.

"Yeah, it was," instead of lying down, I sit down and hug my legs as I stare out at the rippling ocean, "I'm never going to forget that moment, I loved it."

"Hey, mind telling me about your wedding? I noticed your ring, pretty nice."

"Sure and thanks. Well, during our vacation to Miami when we were fifteen, we were celebrating our year's anniversary of admitting to each other how we felt. It started with a simple dinner, and then we went into the hot tub and relaxed for a little bit. After that, he went into the shower. I… okay, I'm not going to lie here, I was planning on what happened since we planned the vacation. When he was in the shower, I got into a pair of black bra and panties, and then waited for him to come back, pretending I was asleep… when he finally got out of the shower… I'm not going to sugar coat it, we had sex. I still don't regret it, but I feel that I could have made some better choices. When he was about to pull out, I wrapped my legs around him and made him come inside me… I still don't know why I did that, but I don't regret it. Well, two weeks later I was late… really late. I was pregnant with my first child, Dietlinde. When I was seven months pregnant – and having my baby shower – he proposed to me. He proposed to me in front of everyone, at least thirty people saw it… and I said yes. When he put that ring on my finger… my heart sank. I knew that I'd be spending the rest of my life with him… and I was happy. Our wedding came a lot later. We… kinda went through some stuff… I'll tell you later. Anyway, we had fifty million Yen for the wedding, and we barely used half of it! That was the happiest day of my life… my daughter was there… she looked so happy for us, even though she was still very young. On our honeymoon – which took place in out room – we had sex… a few times actually… we conceived our second child that night, the one I'm carrying right now… I guess I went a little too much into detail, huh?" I basically told my life story today! When he didn't respond, I turn around to see him sleeping with a smile. Smiling myself, I lay next to him propped up on one elbow, "I love you Shinji Ikari… nothing will ever change that…" I gently kiss him on the lips and lay on my back.

I eventually fall asleep myself, hoping that this all was a dream in itself… too hopeful thinking…

A/N- It's that time again people! Flashback! Since it will all be a flashback, I won't be using italics. This part does classify as lemon, but it doesn't go too far.

---

Collage Party – 2015

"You want something to drink Asuka?" we were just walking into the house – which was filled to the rim with booming sound waves.

"No, and don't think that you're going to make a move tonight Third!" I really hated when he acted all friendly with me! Knowing him he'd probably drop a roofie in my drink!

"I won't… I'm going to get one though," with his head hung low, he walks to the table filled with food and drinks. That's right Third, keep on walking! Nothing but a house-broken male!

"Hey beautiful, how ya doing?" I turn and end up having to look up to a man staring down at me with a smile.

"Whatever…" friggen collage students.

"Aww, come on, this is a party! You should be having some fun!" I don't care how much bigger then me he is, I'm not going to be treated like this by him!

"Okay, listen close, because I'm not going to repeat myself. I know how all you men are, all you want is sex, well guess what? I'm not giving up any!" he smiles and holds up a hand.

"I'm not like that, don't worry. Sorry if I came off a little strong, how about we start over?" he holds his hand out to me, "My name is Muysuko, and what's your name?" I bust out laughing.

"That's a girl's name!" he scratches the back of his head nervously.

"Yeah… my dad wasn't exactly smart…" we both have a pretty good laugh. This guy wasn't half bad, I had to admit.

"The name's Asuka, Asuka Langley Souryu," I shake his hand with a smile.

"Nice to meet you Asuka. You have a beautiful name by the way," guys goggling over me, what's new?

"I know! So, how about you be a gentleman and get me a drink?" he smiles warmly… I like this guy! Not like that dumbass Shinji!

"Sure, what do you want? I think all we really have is Coke and beer… ever had beer?" I'm fourteen… what does he think?

"No, not really… is it any good?" I see Misato drink it all the time, so it's not like it was anything new for me. She says it 'cleanses the soul'; all I see it cleansing is her stomach when she vomits!

"Eh, it's okay… want one? I can sneak one to you if you want," like he said, it's a party. Might as well.

"Sure, why not?"

"Okay, but you'll need to go into a room. A guy will call the cops in a second if he sees you drinking it. Just meet me back in the room down the hallway and to the left, I'll be right back," with that, he walked off. I did as I was told and walk into the small room.

"Wow…" I muttered at the sight before me. It was actually spotless even with this party going on! It had a single full-sized bed in the middle with a TV in front of it. I sit at the foot of the bed and wait for girly-man to come back. After a few seconds of waiting, I see the door open.

"Hey guys, I'll get back with you later, see ya," he closes the door behind him and pulls out a beer from behind his back, "Here ya go, hope it's not too strong." He tosses me the un-opened can… okay, no roofie.

"Thanks…" I stare down at the can and hesitate before popping open the lid and taking a small sip. A little bitter… it's kinda nasty, "Ew… okay, I'll pass on the drink, thanks though." He sits next to me and takes the can, then downs the whole thing with one gulp.

"Yeah, it's kind of a mature taste… either that or my taste buds are worn off!" we both laugh a little… did he just dink after me? A little odd, but I brush it off.

"You know, you're not like a lot of the guys I know. You're not an asshole!" I think I just sounded a little too friendly right there…

"Thanks… you know, you're pretty mature for your age…" he set his hand on top of mine.

"Whoa! Back up!" I get up and start to walk out of the room, but he grabs my wrist.

"Oh come on, lighten up!" I try to get my wrist away, but he was WAY stronger than me. I go to kick his groin, but he just moves to the side and dodges it, "Damn, feisty, aren't we?"

"Let go of me you asshole!" he whipped my body towards his and pulled me into a deep kiss. He thrusted his hand behind my head and made me lay down on the bed. I struggled to get up, but I couldn't. He slipped his tongue deep into my mouth, forcing me to realize exactly what is happening. He pulled back and held my other wrist tight against the bed, "What the fuck is your problem! Let go of me!" I couldn't get away… I really couldn't get away…

"I thought you liked me…" he reached down and grabbed my right breast and started to message it, "Like I said, mature…"

"Stop it you pervert!" I roll over – making my shirt tear. Nice one Asuka! Now I'm on my Goddamn stomach!

"You're hurting my feelings Asuka…" he rolled me over and held both of my wrists in place with one hand. He reached down and undid my zipper and the button of my shorts, "Come on, have a little fun…" he pulled them down to my mid thigh.

"Get off damnit!" he held both of my legs in place by sitting on them… I was helpless… please help…

"No, I'm pretty comfortable right here…" he reached for the bottom of my shirt and pulled it up to my neck, "Nice rack…" he brought his hand down one last time and undid his jeans, throwing them off as he did.

"NO! Stop it! Get off!" while his hand was down there, he pulled my panties down along with my shorts, "Don't do that! Stop! Please stop!" I'm basically begging him at this point.

"Please won't do it Asuka… this'll go easier if you just stop struggling…" I could feel him pressing against my thigh.

"STOP! Don't do it! Please stop! Please!" the look in his eyes were demonic… it was scary… my eyes were teary at this point. He just smiled down at me, "Please… I-I'll do anything! I… I can have NERV pay you! Anything you want! Just don't do this!" he just chuckles.

"I don't care about money…" he reaches down and positions himself.

"NO!" I feel him thrust in quickly, "AHHH!" my eyes clench shut in pain… it hurt so bad… he just broke me…

"Yeah… that's sexy…" he begins to thrust in and out.

"S-Stop it… uh… STOP!" tears are rolling down my face freely. It hurt so Goddamn bad… someone make him stop… "G-Get… off of me…!" my struggling went to waist… he continued and never even stopped for a breath.

"I know you like it…" after a few minutes of struggling and screaming, I was getting seriously tired… but I had to get away! "Just let it go Asuka…" I won't give that son of a bitch the satisfaction! I won't…

"AHHH!" I just did…

"There ya go…" he goes inside me one last time… he didn't even pull out… he just… oh God… what if I just got pregnant? "Wow… not bad Asuka…" he pulls out and hovers over me.

"Y-You… fucking… asshole…" I finally got in the position to knee him in the stomach, and that's exactly what I did. He falls to the ground and I leap up. I pull up my shorts and pull my shirt down as I run out of the room sobbing.

---

Beach

"Asuka! Wake up!" my eyes jet open. I was panting and sweating heavily just like this morning… only this time I was crying… Shinji was hovering next to me with a concerned look on his face, "Are you okay? You were talking in your sleep…"

"Oh God…" I bury my hands in my face. That was the first time I've had that dream… I never want it again… I don't want to relive that… to my surprise, Shinji takes me into his arms. Without thinking, I hug him back.

"You're okay Asuka…" I wasn't exactly sobbing, but I was crying, there was no getting around that.

"I lost it to him…" one simple choice made me go through that… I should have treated him better… if I had… none of that would have happened…

A/N- I've been dealing a lot with emotions lately, and expect that to continue for awhile. So, do you think Asuka will get closer to Shinji? Will Shinji even make a move now? Find out in the next chapter; Truth, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	103. Truth

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Chapter 103: Truth

A/N- This chapter was proof-read by Frost-Eva-04, thanks for the help!

A/A/N- Not that it really matters, but this is by far my favorite chapter! Oh, and also I finally broke 200,000 words as of last chapter! Okay, enough author notes, back to the fic!

Beach – One Hour Later

"You didn't deserve what happened to you… he had no right to even touch you," I was back to sitting and hugging my legs, but this time it was more of a fetal position then simply getting comfortable. I just got done telling Shinji – more in detail – what happened to me… I think I saw him get teary eyed at one point.

"Yeah…" I look back at him and simply stare at his face for a few minutes. When he started to get uncomfortable, I spoke up, "Shinji… take off your shirt…"

"What!" I kept my face blank.

"Just do it… I'll only need a few minutes…" while blushing, he pulled off his shirt. I get next to him and stare him in the eyes, "Tell me, why do you think your body is littered with all of these scars?" he had to know…

"I dunno, I just thought that they were from surgeries from when I was in the coma…" I put a hand on his cheek, "A-Asuka?"

"Shinji… do you trust me?" slowly, he nods, "Would you believe anything I said?"

"Well… y-yeah… you're the only person I do trust right now…" please don't let him freak out…

"None of these scars are from surgeries, not a one of them. Shinji… my husband… is you… my real name is Asuka Langley Ikari… not Souryu…" he widens his eyes a little.

"Asuka… I think that you're getting sick again… we should get you home…" I move my hand and put it on his shoulder, which had a single bullet wound on it.

"No… see this scar? It was when you tried to save me from yet another man. You were shot twice… one here," I move my hand to his stomach, "And here… you almost died trying to save me…"

"But… I've been in a coma…" I nod, still with my blank face.

"No you weren't… let me finish…" I put my hand on his wrist, now with a hand actually attached to it, "You tried to protect me from my father when he came back… you lost your hand for it…" I once again move my hand to his right palm, "This one is from me… I was taken over by Envy – one of the sins – and cut you on your palm and upper arm…" I move my hand to his back where his largest scar was, "This is when a friend lost his temper…" I lean in a little and intensify my stare, "You were dead for a short time… you sacrificed yourself to save me when SEELE attacked…"

"Asuka, seriously, I think you're getting sick. We really need to get home," I put my hand on my stomach.

"I'm carrying you child right now… please believe me…" my blank face was replaced with an almost begging one. I reach into my back pocket and pull out his old ID, "Look at this," I hand it to him. After looking over it for a few seconds, he gasps, "Family; Asuka Langley Ikari, Dietlinde Ikari, Gendo Ikari, Yui Ikari," I have read over that ID so many times I've basically memorized it.

"This is fake… this can't be real…" he continues to stare at the card.

"It is… I'm sorry I've been lying to you… but it couldn't be helped…"

"But… if I died… how did I…?" maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

"That doctor you saw before cloned you from what was left of your body after the fight… a large warhead took you out…" I slowly lean in and hug him, "I love you…" he was as stiff as a board.

"Y-You're… my wife?" I nod.

"I'm so sorry you had to find out this way… please forgive me Shinji," he wrapped his arms around me and returned the hug.

"Are… these dreams that I've been having real?" I lean back and stare him in the eye, "Did… I ever go shopping for you… and bought a bra and a silk dress?" he has been dreaming…

"You dreamt that?" he nods slowly.

"So… all of these dreams are my… his past?" I didn't even think about him freaking out about being a clone!

"No, that's you. You're my husband… just with a few missing memories…" our faces were just two inches apart.

"I-I… this isn't true… you're lying… you're lying!" he leaps up and glares down at me, "Why are you doing this? If this is about your husband, you need to get some help! I'm not just something to replace him!" I stand up and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Shinji, I-"

"Shut up! I'm sick of your lies! You were the only person that I actually liked since my mother, and you pull this? Why are you doing this to me?" he pulls away from my hand.

"I'm not doing anything! Everything I just said was true! You can ask anyone at NERV and they'll all tell you the same story!" I see tears start to form in his eyes.

"Enough! I'm not a father, I'm not a husband, and I'm sure as hell not any of the things you say I am!" I shouldn't have done this…

"I'm sorry… but you are…" I put a hand on his cheek again.

"Like hell I am! You're nothing… you're nothing but a lying bitch!" he throws a hard punch at my cheek… did he just hit me? "Screw this!" he walks off angrily. I wanted to chase after him, but I couldn't get my legs to work… I just let him go. I put a hand on my throbbing cheek… Shinji just punched me… my husband just punched me… the metallic taste of blood started to fill my mouth. I feel a long cut on my cheek… he just made me bleed…

"Shinji…" I should have just let him think that he was in a coma. He would have been happy… he would have been with me… "Shinji!" he stops walking at glares back at me.

"WHAT! What the fuck is it!" that anger in his eyes… it's never been pointed at me before…

"Please… don't leave…" he stormed back and stared me down.

"And give me one damn reason why I shouldn't!" I hate this… I hate how he's treating me…

"Because… I need you…" I stared at the ground and feel my tears start to build up, "I need you around… to live…"

"Cut the crap Asuka! I'm nothing to you! I'm just some kid that woke up that YOU clung to after your husband died!" he's never acted like this to me… my heart is actually hurting… after I stay quiet for awhile, he breaks the silence, "Running out of lies?"

"I'm… not lying…" he sighs and walks off.

"Whatever…"

---

NERV – Akagi's Office – 8:00 PM

"He still hasn't come back?" five hours… five hours sense he left me… I had been in Akagi's office ever sense I came back to NERV. I saw him walk across the street, round a corner and that was the last I saw of him.

"No… was he really that angry?" I put a hand on my now bruised cheek.

"He hit me… he actually hit me…" her eyes went wide.

"He did what!" it didn't even hurt that much… it was just mental pain. Knowing that he actually HIT me… that was torturing.

"I shouldn't have told him… I should have just left it alone… he was happy with me without knowing the truth. Now he hates me…" why did I have to open my mouth? We were happy how we were and I just had to ruin that!

"I don't think he hates you, he's just angry."

"No… he was beyond angry… I've never seen him like that before. Ritsuko, I could tell… he hated me. Shinji actually hit me… he hit me!" I'm never going to be able to forget this… even though I wanted to so badly.

"I know that, and no, he wasn't right to even touch you, but you need to realize what his mind is going through. He now knows that he's a clone, can you imagine what that must feel like? None of his memories were his own; they were that of his former self. In truth, he has never really lived, and he realizes that. He ran because he was afraid, not because he hates you," I really wished that to be true…

---

Asuka's Room – One Month Later – 8:00 PM

I gently caress my now notably pregnant stomach. I never thought that I'd be the one to go through this – to be a single mother. After this long, I thought Shinji to be dead, a druggie, or at best living a normal life away from me. All that I knew at this point is that he was gone… I guess it's for the better. I missed him, that much was true, but I also wanted him to be happy, and I knew that he wasn't happy with me. How could he be? He was about to be thrown into a relationship he never started, and on top of that, he was a father to be. Who would want to stay in that? I don't blame him for it, I don't hate him for it, and I don't have any feelings towards him aside from love. No matter what he did or IS doing, I love him.

Five months from now I'll be a mother… a single, teenage mother. I was always fine with the teenage part, only because I knew that'd I would be with Shinji… but now I have nothing. I haven't spoken to Cass or Sam in about a week now, hell; I haven't even come out of my room in a week. I was starting to run out of food in the fridge, I would have to come out eventually. For the mean time though, I enjoyed this seclusion. I just wanted to be alone, I didn't want to talk to anyone, and I didn't want to see anyone… I just wanted to be alone.

Suicide has crossed my mind on a daily basis. I have even picked up that same bottle a few times, but I couldn't force myself to even take one. I've done enough harm to this child; I won't inflict more damage onto it. That is if it wasn't already either brain dead or simply dead. Well, I know it's not dead, I can faintly see my stomach starting to grow, even this early in the pregnancy. Akagi said that after I got shot, my uterus had to be moved slightly forward, so I'll look pregnant sooner than last time. I really didn't care, how I looked doesn't matter to me anymore. I don't have any drive what so ever. When I sleep, I sleep for at least ten hours. Why get up when you're going to get up to nothingness? I spent my days staring at the ceiling and nothing else. TV was meaningless, it would only depress me further. News of the war raging in Germany, random crimes around Japan, world news, none of it was interesting to me anymore. I only got up out of my bed to make food for myself and stretch my muscles. I haven't taken a shower in three days now, mainly because of the fact that I didn't want to have the feeling of an external force on my skin. I don't want contact of any kind… none at all.

After the fourth day, Cass gave up trying to get through to me. He would spend countless hours outside my door waiting for me to come out. A few nights he actually slept out there waiting for me, but I refused to come out. It's been ten days since I've heard his voice – a voice for that matter. Shinji's voice would haunt me in my dreams every now and then, but I could never understand him. Only lately was I able to actually hear him when I was awake. Insanity? No, far from it. I only heard him because I wanted to so badly that my mind did just that for me. This morning when I woke up, I could have sworn that I saw him lying next to me for a split second. Maybe I was going insane, it's not like it mattered. Maybe then I'd be free from the anguish of living on day to day. I pray for death every night before I fall asleep. I literally pray to God for death. I haven't prayed sense I was in Germany… and when I finally start again, it was for death. I wanted him to take it from me, because I sure as hell couldn't do it on my own.

"Out of Zion shall come forth a law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem Nation shall not raise sword against nation, and they shall not learn war anymore, for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken." That was always the quote that I'd recite. I felt that it had to do with the exact instance with what happened at the beach. The truth was the law being carried, and Shinji did not raise the sword to it. He didn't fight it, he simply ran away from it. There was no longer a war in his mind, he knew the truth, and whether or not he decided to accept it was his own choice. The mouth of the Lord hath spoken… I was the one to tell him…

These days dragged on like years, each day was filled with anguish, hatred, sadness, and mourning. There was no happiness in my life anymore. There never was. I was falling deeper and deeper into depression by the hour, and there was nothing anyone could do about it. I let my head fall to the side and see – sitting in the chair – a young boy. Gahiji. He had his right leg crossed over his left and he held his knee with a smile. He simply stared at me smiling for a good five minutes before fading away into nothingness. My mind was playing tricks on me again. What's new? Though seeing him was new, actually seeing figures wasn't. I've seen Shinji walk across my room countless times now, only to fade into the wall, never passing so much as a glance at me. I've heard Dietlinde crying a few times, I would look across the room to the source of the sound to see a bloody crib. Though I knew that none of it was real, it still brought a tear to my eye to see that. I look to Shinji's side of the bed to see him sleeping next to me. His arm was draped across my hips, but I didn't feel anything. For less then a tenth of a second, I saw half of his head disappear to show his innards before disappearing completely.

"Asuka?" there he was again… I hear a knocking at the door, but I don't bother to get up, "Asuka, can I come in?" his voice was so warm… I loved it. After a few seconds I see the door open to show him in the same clothes he left me on. He had a five-o-clock shadow covering his face like a blanket, but he still smiled even through his ragged exterior. He walked to my bedside and sat down. He began to stroke my hair as I looked up at him. I could actually feel this… maybe I am going insane. My senses are basically useless now. I hear things, I see things, and now I'm feeling things that aren't there. I close my eyes and simply wait for him to disappear like the others. But he didn't. Hours passed with him at my side, all the while him stroking my hair. Suddenly, I feel him kiss my forehead. He softly whispered in my ear, "I'm back Asuka…"

"Shinji's gone…" the first time I've used my voice in two weeks now, and it sounded horrid.

"No I'm not, I'm right here, I'll always be here… and nothing will ever change that…"

A/N- Not much at all I can say here. Just see what happens in the next chapter; His Warmth, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	104. His Warmth

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Chapter 104: His Warmth

A/N- This chapter was proof-read by Frost-Eva-04. Thanks for the help.

A/A/N- Okay, let me clear something up here; there is a plot, just a very broad plot. It's their life, that's it. And yes, there's an ending that's coming up very soon. You can ask Frost-Eva-04, he has proof-read the epilogue. Like I said in the summary, think of this as more of a sitcom with different subplots, okay? For those of you that are still reading and not bitching, thank you.

Same Time

"No I'm not, I'm right here, I'll always be here… and nothing will ever change that…" my head pops up and I sit up to meet him at eye level, "There's my beautiful wife…" he gently pecks me on the lips, "It's nice to see you again."

"Sh-Shin… ji…?" he simply smiles at me. Am I seeing things again? Is this one really him?

"I'm back Asuka… all of me…" if this is a dream… please never let me wake up. I lunge forward and latch onto his neck… this was real, "I'm so sorry I did that to you… I just wasn't ready for the truth at the time… I mean, I had a fourteen year old mind, I wasn't exactly accustomed to that sort of thing…" he held me tight, "But I promise… for the rest of your life, I will never leave your side… ever," was MY Shinji back? I lean back and look at him with teary eyes.

"A-Are… do you remember everything?" he once again smiled warmly at me.

"Yes… and not from dreams, I actually feel like I lived them… I don't know why I'm back, but I am," his voice… something has changed sense I last spoke to him… it's matured in a way.

"Everything? You remember everything?" he nods with a smile.

"Yeah… a few gaps here and there, but nothing big, just of a few fights with the angels… but I'd rather not remember those!" I couldn't help but chuckle through my tears, "I… do remember something that I wish I hadn't though…" his face went to that of a sad child as he stared downwards, "I… I'm so sorry Asuka… I shouldn't have done that to you… you were just trying to help…"

"Forget about it, you're back now, aren't you?" he continued to stare down.

"Not that… I hit you… please forgive me…" I smile and put a hand on his cheek.

"You barely even touched me…" that was a bold faced lie. In truth, he left a deep purple bruise. I saw tears start to form in his eyes.

"Asuka… I remember it… I hit you hard…" he put a hand on my arm gently, "I let my temper take me over… please forgive me…" he was really hurt about this!

"Forget about it, really, it's not like I've never hit you before!" I finally got a smile out of him! Suddenly, I realize something; I want human contact now. Now that he was back, I'm out of depression completely… I knew I couldn't live without him… "So, where have you been?" his face once again went blank.

"Right after I left, I went back to my aunt and uncle's… it took me a few days, but when I finally got there, I see nothing has changed… I stayed there for about a week, and then me and my uncle got into a fight… a real fight… after that, I just started to wander around the streets. Actually getting back my memories was… terrifying. I had no idea what was happening to me. Up until this last week I thought that I was seeing another man's memories…" I can see why he went back there. Even though he hated it, it was really the only home he has.

"So… um… can I kiss my husband?" it's been more than a month now!

"Thought you'd never ask…" I lean into the first kiss with him in awhile. We stayed like that for quite awhile, and it would have been longer if we didn't need to breathe! "There's my wife…" he stared at each other smiling for the longest time, not a word was said, it was like heaven until he finally broke it, "So, how about we go surprise everyone?" just like him.

"Sure… I can't just have you to myself?" I was kidding of course, but hey, if he wouldn't mind!

"You always will…" he kisses my forehead and gets up, "Oh, by the way, you speak pretty highly of me, don't you?" ah crap… he remembers me telling all of those stories!

"Well… yeah, I mean there's a lot to talk about!" I get up next to him and grab a hold of his left hand. He went wide eyed and looked down.

"Holy crap!" what? He hasn't noticed that his hand is back yet?

"Come on! Don't tell me you haven't noticed!" he slowly shakes his head.

"I mean, I knew that it was back… but I just remembered the whole Karsten thing yesterday… it just didn't click…" he raised his hand in front of his face and moved each finger, "Yes!" damn! I never got to pull out 'Stubby'!

"If you're done goggling over your hand, we can go now," he put his hand back down and grabbed mine.

"Sorry, I'm just a little excited about having my hand!" we both walk out of the room laughing… I'm happy… I'm happy with him…

"Oh, hey!" I see Sam walking down the hall to meet us. Almost instantly she puts out her hand in front of Shinji, "Sorry, but I haven't gotten the chance to introduce myself yet. The name's Sam," Shinji smiles at her and softly nudges me… that asshole, he's about to trick her! He takes her hand and shakes it.

"Nice to meet you, my name's Shinji," I saw Sam's face pale a little, but she kept her smile.

"Yeah… I-I know…"

"So Sam, do you mind if I ask you a question?"

"Sure…" Shinji leaned over and whispered something in her ear, but I couldn't hear what. She went wide eyed and latched onto him, "You're back!" I've never seen Sam smile so wide!

"Yeah," he softly hugged her back, obviously worried about me. No, I didn't like the sight of him hugging another girl, but its fine. Sam pulled back and blushed deeply.

"Sorry… I'm just excited that you're back…" Shinji put a hand on her shoulder. Okay! Pushing it!

"Thanks for looking after Asuka when I was away," geez, I'm not some four year old!

"Actually, that was Cass," yeah, he was the most helpful person this last month. While I never actually came out of my room, he tried while no one else even bothered to check on me. And after Shinji died… he was there…

"Yeah, I gotta thank him for that," I cut in between him and Sam and grab his hand, "But for now, I want to go see Akagi and shove it in her face that her science was wrong!" saying that he'll never come back, bullshit! He laughed, "No, you didn't hear what she was saying before! She said that you were dead!" technically, he wasn't, but mentally he might as well have been.

"Go easy on her Asuka… you thought the same thing for awhile too!" Lord help this man…

"Only because she told me so! How am I supposed to react to a fourteen year old being my husband?" I take his hand once again and we begin to walk down the hall. Out of nowhere, he reaches over and gently puts his hand on my stomach.

"Have you thought of any names yet?" actually, I was planning on naming it Shinji, thinking that he wasn't going to come back, but there goes my idea…

"No, not really, you?" I wonder if we're going to be doing that German and Japanese thing again.

"Well… you'll think this is stupid… but for a girl… I wanted to name it after you," now how was that stupid?

"Me? What makes me so special?" I just set him up… crap!

"Well, for one, you have gone through more then I ever have trying to come to terms with this child. If anything in this baby, I want your heritage to pass on," Shinji's being deep again.

"That really doesn't matter to me…"

"But it does to me," he responded almost instantly, "Asuka, you're the only person in my life that has ever really made me feel useful, I want to repay you for that," was that true? There had to be SOMEONE else aside from me.

"Well… if you want to, sure, I'm okay with it…" it would actually be pretty cool to have a child named after me! "Okay, so we got the girls name – Asuka Ikari – now we need a boy's…" I look up at him with a smile. Hey, if the girl's name is going to be mine, the boy should be his.

"Huh? Oh… no! We are NOT naming it after me!" those warm, funny eyes… I love those.

"Why not? I like your name!" he gave a nervous smile.

"How about Taiju? Okita? Ren? Anything but Shinji!" damn, wonder what was up with him?

"Why don't you want your name?" he blushes and looks to the floor.

"Because… I'd just rather not have it on our child… how about we go with a German name?" he was serious about this! I wonder why he doesn't want his name.

"Okay… how about Roth? If he takes after me, then the name will make sense," seeing as how strong my genes were the last time, I'm guessing that he would look German!

"Why? Does it mean something?" actually, it was more of a word than a name, but I have heard it as a name before.

"Yeah, it means 'red-haired'," he instantly busts out laughing, "And what the hell is so funny about that?"

"N-Nothing… it's just that I know that name will fit him perfectly! Asuka, in the last two children we've had, you're genes are the dominate ones, not mine. I can't even see myself in our children!" two? He does know how to count, right?

"Shinji, think back, we've only had one child. Unless I missed something…" just a guess, but I think I'd remember giving birth twice!

"No, we've had two… kinda. Dietlinde was one, then the other one was when Akagi made one from us, remember? Though we didn't exactly conceive that child, it still had our genetics," oh yeah! I almost forgot about that one…

"Okay, I see your point," before I realized it, we were standing in front of Akagi's office, "Hey, I was thinking… can we play a little trick on her?" he raised an eyebrow, "Okay, this is what I want you to do, act as if you lost even more memory instead of regaining it. Act like… I dunno, a ten year old," he smirked a little.

"You know Asuka, you're vengeful… I like that, but I want to make just a little change… how about I simply don't talk? That'd be easier on my part," lazy ass…

"Okay, I guess that'd be like an infant, so yeah," his smirk grew just a bit bigger… he's about to make a cocky remark, I just know it.

"An infant, huh?" he took a short pause, "Got milk?" I slap him on the chest.

"Pervert… come on," I open the door to see Akagi once again neck deep in paper work.

"Hey As- Shinji!" she popped up from her desk, "He came back?" I stared at the floor, trying to look concerned.

"Um… no… I think he got worse… he can't even talk now, he just stares at me when I talk to him…" oh yeah, nice one Asuka! I should be an actress!

"Huh? Are you sure he's just not keeping quiet because of what happened?" good thing I'm a good liar…

"Yeah, I'm sure…" I look up at him and hold back laughter. He was staring at the ceiling like it was his first time seeing it; no, the act in itself wasn't that funny, but the look on his face was hilarious! "I-I… uh…" I clear my throat holding it back, "H-He…" I kick his foot to get him to stop, "He just came back last night and…" I look back up at him to see him holding back laughter as well.

"Uhhh… how's it goin Rits?" he busted out laughing, and I soon followed. Even when she learned that he COULD speak, she was still confused.

"Um… how do you know my name? Asuka? Did you tell him?" he wipes away a tear and speaks up.

"No, she didn't. You delivered my child, you saved both me and Asuka countless times, and a little more recently you cloned me… yeah, I think I know you!" Akagi drops her jaw.

"Shinji… you remember? You remember everything?" we both calm down and smile at her.

"Yeah, I even remember seeing the bomb break through the entry plug. The tip touched my forehead before exploding… it was pretty cool aside from the whole dying thing…" he actually remembered that?

"But… that's impossible! Do you remember or did Asuka tell you?" yeah, I told him his entire life story!

"No… I… I haven't even been here all month…" he obviously felt horrible for that.

"Then how do you know?" is she stupid or something?

"I already told you, the memories slowly came back to me. Why don't you believe me?" she just stared at him clueless.

"Because that's impossible! The brain can't repair itself, how did it do it in your case?" how was he supposed to know? She's the doctor!

"Maybe it had something to do with the cloning thing, is that possible?" Ritsuko held her head and shook it, "I'll take that as a no… but who cares? As long as I'm here now, right?" she finally broke a smile.

"Yeah, sorry… it's just baffling… ah forget about it," she walks to his and puts out her hand, "Give me your hand…" he gives her his hand and she starts to examine it closely, "Okay I was just checking to see if everything came through during the cloning… oh, and one more thing…" she grabbed his wrist and turned him around in and instant… sense when did Akagi know how to restrain? "You ever lay a hand on Asuka again and I'll personally make sure you'll pay for it, you understand me?" holy shit! Shinji just looked to the floor.

"Yes…" I couldn't move! I wanted to get her off of him, but my legs just weren't moving! "I understand…"

"I don't care how close you are to her; you may not touch her unless told to do otherwise. If I ever find out that you hit her again, I WILL put you in prison, got it?" damn… Akagi was seriously mad about this…

"Yes…" she shoved him as she let go, making him stumble to the floor.

"Not so nice when someone else is doing it, is it?" Shinji silently got up and walked out of the office without passing so much as a passing glance at me.

"What the fuck was that!" I turn and yell at Akagi, "He already apologized for it! He explained himself!" she glares right back at me.

"I don't care what he said; I'm getting the point across that it's NOT okay to hit women!" Jesus, like he didn't know that? The look in his eyes when we were talking about it was saddening even to me!

"He knows that! You think that it's okay to do that to him?" I still can't believe that she actually pushed him to the ground!

"Yes I do! What comes around goes around, and he got what he had coming!"

"Whatever! I actually care about him, so I'M going to help him!" with a certain bird flying by, I walk out of the room and walk down the hallway to see him sitting against the wall with his arms on his knees, "Shinji…"

"I still don't know why I did that…" he stared at the ground with a blank face as he spoke, "When I hit you… I really saw you as an enemy…" I saw a tear form in his eye, "The most horrifying thing… is that I wanted to do it again after I hit you… at that moment, I really wanted to make you hurt…" I walk over and sit next to him.

"Eh, I woulda kicked you ass if you did…" I wrap my arm around his shoulders, "You couldn't do it again even if you wanted to!" he looks at me with a small frown, "Now what's the matter? I thought that we already went through this; it… doesn't… matter! I'm fine, aren't I?" I think I saw him smile a bit, "It's not like you were in a good mental state either, so don't worry about it. Now, how about we go back to our room and relax a little, huh?" I take his hand and bring him to his feet.

"How do you do that?"

"Do what?" we begin to walk back to my room.

"You're always able to make me smile, no matter the circumstance… how?" come to think of it, he was right. No matter what, I was able to make him smile even if I didn't say anything funny or joyful… huh…

"Maybe because I'm you wife," once again, he smiled. When we finally got to my room, I look at the clock, "Holy crap! It's one already? Damn, we gotta get to sleep!" why I felt like we did is beyond me. Neither of us had jobs, no school, and really no obligations…

"Okay, just let me change into some more comfortable clothes," he walks over to the closet and changes into a loose fitting shirt and a pair of long shorts. After that, he went into the bathroom, hopefully to get a shave! I hear him turn it on, and then sigh. He turns it off and walks back out with it in his hands, "Okay… I screwed up. I didn't know how to shave when you told me to, and I didn't clean it…" all of the circular blades were covered in rust, "I'd rather not get a shot in my stomach for using this, so do you mind if I use your razor?"

"You do know that mine isn't electric, right?" he nods, "Hey, feel free, just don't cut yourself!" he walks back into the bathroom and tosses his razor in the garbage. A few minutes later he comes back out with a clear face, "Wow… you really didn't cut yourself!"

"Yeah, lucky me!" I loved the look on his face when he'd joke around. It was so warm, it actually made me happy simply to see him smile, "Okay, we can go to bed now," we both crawl into bed and I turn off the lights, "Night Asuka…" I had my back to him and he was facing me.

"Night…" I was so close to him for some reason. Our bodies were pressing against each other tightly… and I loved it. It wasn't just his emotional warmth that made me comfortable; it was his body warmth as well. Just knowing that he was alive and next to me made me smile. I try to cherish every moment that I can with him because I know that someday – hopefully not anytime soon – he will be gone, and he won't come back. I knew that I'd eventually be alone, I'd be alone with nobody by my side, and I'm mature enough to accept that, but I wasn't ready to handle it.

"Shinji…" I turn and look at him a few inches from his face.

"Yeah Asuka?" that smile…

"You remember what Akagi said about having to get permission to touch me?" his smiled faded slightly, but was still present.

"Um… yeah…"

"You have permission…" I slowly bring him into a kiss and he doesn't deny it. What's new? He never does. To my surprise, he put a hand on my back and pulled me just a little closer… that was fairly new. He's never been the one to pull that – not that I'm complaining of course. I eventually find myself down to nothing, simply sharing his body warmth under his weight. I love him so much… I'd do anything to see him smile… I'd do anything FOR him. When I think back to when we were younger, I can't help but kick myself for how I treated him. Why was I such a bitch to him? Why would I treat him like that? All he ever tried to be was kind towards me… and I just pushed him away.

"Asu… ka…" he was always such a kind hearted person, no matter how I treated him; he was always nice to me. Well… 'nice' didn't really describe him well enough. Yes, he was nice, I'm not saying that he isn't, it just doesn't go into detail enough. He's more like a… well… in a way, he acts like a saint. In general, he had the attitude of a saint. He'd never hurt anyone on purpose, and he'd protect the ones he loves to the end… of course, there is one quality that deprives him of sainthood… he's on top of me right now. He leans down and kisses me softly on the lips, and once again, I absorb his warmth.

What did I ever do to deserve a husband as great as him? Nothing really comes to mind, but apparently I did it. What could I ever do to repay him for all he's done for me? Absolutely nothing. He's helped me live on, he's taken care of me when I needed it, and he's protected me with his very life, all more then once. What have I done for him? I've bailed him out of a few troubled instances, and that's it. That woman was right… all I do for him is cause stress. Even so, I do believe that he loves me, and I KNOW that I love him.

"I love you Shinji… so much…" all I could do for him is stay with him unless he asks otherwise. If he wanted a divorce, I'd give it to him in a second. If that's what he needed to be happy, he'd get it. I really don't see that happening though, not even in a bad dream. It's just so unrealistic that I can't – or rather, won't – imagine it. He'd never leave me in a stable state of mind, I know that… do I? "Shinji… stop…" I wrap my arms around him and pull him tight against my body. I start to whisper into his ear, "Promise me… promise me that you'll never leave… stay with me forever…" he softly kisses my cheek.

"Never again… I promise…" he leans back up and smiles down on me… I love that smile… "I love you Asuka…"

"I… love you too…"

A/N- A good part of this chapter was filler, but the beginning sure wasn't! So, Shinji's back, and Asuka is back to normal. Akagi sure was pissed at Shinji, huh? Well, she may have over reacted, but she did get her point across! So, some good news for all of you, the rest of the fic will be ONLY peace. No fighting, no deaths, no one leaving, just peace. So, find out what happens in the next chapter; Guidance, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	105. Guidance

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

A/N- This chapter – as always – was proof-read by Frost-Eva-04. Thanks for the help! Oh, and also, concerning The Effects Of Puberty, I haven't been able to update it because of some personal issues. I'll get the next chapter up as soon as possible, the only reason I keep updating this fic is because these chapters are pre-written.

Chapter 105: Guidance

A/N- As much as I like to write with Asuka's first person, it'll have to end here. This fic is based off of Shinji's point of view, not Asuka's. So yeah, say hello to Shinji again!

Asuka's Room – Morning – 8:00 AM

Last night, Asuka was different… normally she would be loud during sex, but last night, she kept quiet the entire time. She stared at me smiling most of the time, it was actually kinda cute. One thing that did catch me by surprise is when she pulled me close to her and asked me never to leave. What makes her think that I would? Okay… stupid question… but I wasn't mentally stable. I wonder if she knows just how much I adore her. Like always, she had her head on my chest with her leg around my waist. This last month had been… interesting to say the least. I met Asuka for the first time again… does that make sense? It was true though, no matter how hard I try, I still see it as my first time meeting her. I got my hand back, which is odd because I remember waking up from my REAL coma after the fight with Gahiji without a hand, then I wake up from the cloning with one… it was weird. Then there was my time with Asuka when I thought I had woken up from a coma. She really opened up to me; sure, it was about OUR life events, but I didn't remember them at the time, so it doesn't really count. She was intense in thought; I don't even think she felt most of it. I had to admit, I liked the peace of mind during the act. I actually remembered to wear a condom last night, so we really didn't have to worry about anything. Sometimes I wish I knew what was going on in that head of hers… but then that'd be too easy, right?

"Shinji, Asuka, can I come in?" I hear Sam knocking at the door… ah crap! I leap out of bed and grab my clothes – which were carelessly thrown across the room – and get dressed as quickly as I could.

"Hold on Sam, I'll be right there," I go back to the bed and wake Asuka up, "Asuka, Sam's here, get dressed," even she goes wide eyed and throws her clothes on. After giving myself a few seconds to slow my heart down a bit, I open the door to see her looking at the ground blushing.

"I… need some help…" I really didn't like the sound of her voice.

"Sure, come in," I guide her inside ad she takes a seat on the sofa.

"Okay, so it's more that I need advice than help… Asuka? When you first got pregnant… how did you feel?" okay, REALLY not liking the sound of this.

"Me? Well, for one I was scared out of my mind, but that eventually went away. Why?" Sam's blush grew a little deeper.

"Well… I'm pregnant…" Asuka nearly falls backwards, me on the other hand… I was simply in shock, "What am I supposed to do here? I mean, I'm scared, but the other side of me actually wants this…" Asuka regains her composure and sits next to Sam calmly.

"Let me ask you one thing…" I feel something bad coming, "Why the hell did you lie to us! I thought you BOTH wore a condom!" Sam is blown away by the sudden burst of sound waves… ouch. But she was right; they did say that they wore condoms.

"We did! But… we didn't tell you that his broke… but we thought that mine would protect me enough!" wait… they had sex how long ago? Sam would have known this awhile ago.

"Sam? How long have you known this?" I finally cut into the conversation.

"Two weeks now… I didn't tell anyone because I wanted to talk with you two…" well, really, who could blame her? We've conceived two children now!

"Hold on a sec, Cass doesn't know?" Sam lowered her head at Asuka's question, "Well then that's the first thing you need to do! This will be his child too, you need to remember that," I think she knows!

"Okay… Shinji? Can you come with me? I don't want to be alone when I tell him…" she gets up and stands next to me, "Please?"

"Sure, but you're going to be the one to say it, not me, okay?" she nods as we make our way out of the room, leaving Asuka behind, "Are you happy about it? Sad? How are you feeling?" I stop her before we go into her room.

"A mixture of both… I mean, it kinda makes me not want to have sex again because even with all that protection, I STILL got pregnant," yeah, even I thought that to be odd.

"Well… let's see how Cass feels," I open the door for her to show him on the sofa watching some TV show, "Hey Cass, we need to talk," he turns off the TV and looks at Sam with a smile.

"Yeah?" Sam made her way next to him on the sofa and held his hand. I stood behind them over watching what is about to be said.

"Please don't freak out about this… I'm…" quit stalling! Cass was starting to get worried! "Pregnant…" to my surprise, the expression on his face didn't change.

"Oh, that? Yeah, I've known for awhile now… you didn't know I knew?" I swear, this is the weirdest friggen couple!

"What? How did you know?" he chuckles a little.

"Sam, we share the same bathroom, right? I kinda noticed the unopened box for the last month!" yeah, I guess that would count as a giveaway… "How do you feel about it? Sorry I didn't ask sooner, but you know, the whole thing with Asuka…" he was obviously happy about it! He's been smiling the whole time!

"Happy… I think… I mean, seeing how happy Asuka and Shinji were with Dietlinde kinda helps this…" looks like our child is going to grow up with a friend! They're going to be born not to far away from each other; my child will only be a couple months older then theirs.

"Good, because I'm excited as hell about it," he pecks her on the cheek, leaving both her and me dumbfounded. When I first found out that I was going to be a father, I'll admit it, I flat out freaked.

"So… you're okay with it?" Sam finally smiled!

"I'm more then okay with it!" Sam latched onto his neck and hugged him tight, "Sam… can't… breathe…" she chuckled as she let go, "Remind me not to piss you off…" they both had a good laugh as I walk out of the room. I wanted to leave them alone; this was their business, not mine. When I walk back into our room I see Asuka rolling on the floor laughing.

"Asuka? You okay?" she slowly got to her feet and wiped away a tear.

"H-He… he already knew! She was freaking out about telling him!" I fail to see the humor in that…

"Yeah, but I guess it was easier for her that he already knew. I'm glad that they both want it," when Asuka first got pregnant, I'm still not sure if she wanted it or not. I mean, I know that abortion was out of the question for her, but still. I know I wanted it at least.

"Yeah, but you have to admit that it's funny!" I plant a fake smile.

"I wonder if our child and theirs will get along…" she suddenly perks up, "It's a nice thought, huh?"

"Actually… yeah. With our luck they'll be opposite sex! Watch them get married later on in life!" she's thinking WAY too far into the future!

"Eh… as long as ours is the boy in the marriage, I'm fine!" she tilts her head a little in confusion, "Remember? The brides parents are supposed to pay!" she chuckles a little. Hey, we'd have to go through that eventually!

"Yeah well, as long as they keep their hands off of each other I'm fine! I don't wanna end up a thirty-five year old grandparent!" well, if one of them got pregnant at the same age Asuka did, that could actually happen!

"Do you have any idea how far into the future we're looking?" I can't believe we're talking about marriage for an unborn baby!

"Yeah, but we're going to have to deal with it sometime, aren't we?" but this early!

"We don't even know the sex of out baby yet!" she gets her normal 'I know everything about everything' look on… uh oh… I'm about to get showed up, I just know it.

"Ever heard of mother's intuition? I already know the sex!" of course she did…

"Okay then, what will it be?" she smiles even wider.

"We're going to have a little baby girl… say hello to Asuka Ikari…" I wonder if she's actually right about it being a girl… in truth, I'm hoping for a girl myself. Even before I met Asuka I've always preferred a daughter over a son, I'm still not too sure why though.

"Looks like I'm going to have to be more specific when I call you now, I'll have my daughter coming when I call you!" the feeling of becoming a parent is once again starting in. That feeling of gratification that YOU will be raising a child, that you brought them into this world… I love that feeling. We both sit down on the sofa and Asuka losses her smile… ah crap.

"Shinji, I need to talk with you about something… Ritsuko offered this a few times when you were away, but I simply didn't answer… do you want to have a funeral for Dietlinde?" my heart instantly sank. Why didn't I think of that before? It didn't even cross my mind even once… how could I forget?

"Um… yeah… but what exactly would be in the casket?" Asuka looked to the floor and frowned a bit.

"What was left of her…" I really wish I hadn't asked that question. I look down basically in shame and end up staring at my left hand… hold on, if I was cloned…

"Wait… they still have her?" she looks up at me – obviously holding back tears – and nods, "Well then why can't Akagi just make a clone of her like she did for me? I mean, she did it fine with me!" Asuka gasps a little, "Even if Dietlinde does end up losing her memories, they won't be that hard to get back, she was only a few months old!" I could actually get my daughter back!

"Shinji…" I grab a hold of her hand and guide her out of the room.

"We're going to get Dietlinde back!" Asuka let out a wide smile.

"You think that'll really work?" why wouldn't it?

"I don't see why not! I mean, all of her was there, compared to me, where chunks of my body were missing! Asuka… we're going to get our daughter back!" I knew the smile on my face was ear to ear, and why wouldn't it be? When we finally get to Ritsuko's office, I bust through the door, not bothering to knock.

"Shinji! Don't just come storming in here without knocking!" with Asuka at my side, I walk in front of her desk.

"You cloned me, right?" with a raised eyebrow, she nodded, "Well then clone Dietlinde…" she looked down at her desk and closed her eyes…

A/N- That's all ya get for now! Sorry for the cliffhanger, but this is where the chapter ends. What do you think Akagi will do? Will she make a clone of Dietlinde? Will she deny Shinji and Asuka of their first child? Find out in the next chapter; My Baby, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	106. Dietlinde

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

A/N- This chapter was proof-read by Frost-Eva-04. Thanks for the help!

A/A/N- Hm… should Dietlinde come back? I'm feeling kinda evil today… how about she dies twice, eh? We'll see…

Chapter 106: Dietlinde

Akagi's Office

"Shinji… you saw how much pain that put you AND Asuka through when I did that… are you sure you want to go through all of that again?" Jesus! If there was a way to get my daughter back, then yes!

"I don't care what I have to go through! I'll give my life to see her again!" seriously, that wasn't an exaggeration. I would literally die just to hold her in my arms.

"You do know what has happened to my reputation after cloning you, don't you? I've been ridiculed for it, people are saying that I'm playing God…" I couldn't care less about her damn reputation!

"Ritsuko… please do this for us… I'll do anything for it," Asuka stared at Akagi with almost begging eyes. After a few seconds of silence, she once again speaks, "Anything… we'll pay any amount you want, just please do this…" Ritsuko sighed and rubbed her eyes.

"I'm not going to charge you Asuka… fine, I'll do it, but legally, she never died. If anyone asks, she was just kidnapped or something, understand?" Asuka leaped over the desk and hugged Akagi tight.

"Thank you so much!" Ritsuko simply smiled and pulled away from the hug.

"Just like with Shinji, there's most likely going to have to be more than one try with it. Cloning is complicated, so give me a few days, okay?" Asuka had tears in her eyes she was so happy.

"Yeah… if there's anything we can ever do for you, just ask… thank you…" Akagi picks up a piece of paper and hands it to me.

"Actually, there is, if you wouldn't mind signing this," across the top of the paper read 'New Address: 730 West Street', "It gets so cramped in my little apartment, I could use a new, bigger house… pretty please?" I couldn't help but chuckle.

"NERV would be paying for this I take it?" she nods with a smile, "Got a pen?" hey, I'd pay for it out of my own wallet if I had to. She handed me one and I sign my name, "Hope you like your new house," she takes back the paper and smiles wide.

"Why thank you Commander Ikari!" she put the paper in her purse and began to walk out of the room, "I'll go start on Dietlinde right now, if I were you, I'd get her crib ready…" Asuka latched onto my arm and actually began to laugh when Ritsuko left the room.

"What's up with you?" she looked up at me smiling wide.

"I'm just so damn happy! We're getting Dietlinde back!" I hug her tight and smile just as wide as her.

"We sure are… I think we might have to get a bigger house now that we have two children… you think I could grab one of those forms from Ritsuko?" seriously, we're going to have TWO kids now, we're going to need something bigger than a one room… well… ROOM.

"Ask later… but yeah, we should…"

---

One Month Later – 9:00 PM

"Shinji?" we both sat on our bed staring at the now made crib.

"Yeah?"

"Akagi DID say a few days, right?" I nod, "Then one question…" I cover my ears, preparing myself, "Where the hell is our daughter!" and there it was, "I mean damn, she hasn't even spoken to us in a month!"

"She said that it was complicated, maybe she's just making sure she didn't mess up like she did with me…" Asuka has grown quite a bit this last month. Her stomach was starting to bulge out a little more, to the point where it was noticeable with clothes on. Before I wasn't able to tell until… well… yeah, that.

"Well I wish that she'd hurry the hell up…" me too, but I had faith in her, I knew it'd get done.

"Don't worry about it, she'll-" then I hear a knocking on the door, "Hold on," I get up and open the door, "Oh, hey Ri-…"

"Shinji?" Asuka got up and came to my side, then nearly fainted at the sight.

"Sorry it took so long, but this little cutie was one hell of a problem!" Ritsuko smiled wide as she held a smiling Dietlinde in her arms, "It turns out that mixing of cultures makes it harder to clone, but yeah, I was able to do it…" Dietlinde held her arms out to me smiling wide, "You want to go with daddy?" With trembling hands, I take Dietlinde from her. Asuka smiled with a tear in her eye at Dietlinde. She was in a pink cover-all suit, the only skin that showed was her head.

"Hey sweetie…" I hand over Dietlinde to Asuka, her of all people needed this more then I did, "Welcome back…" she lightly kissed Dietlinde's forehead and wiped away a tear. I guide Akagi into the hallway and speak as softly as I could.

"Ritsuko, I still remember when I died, does she remember what happened to her?" Akagi shakes her head with a smile.

"That's the best part of it all Shinji, cloning her gave a few new discoveries. I found out how to alter what they really believe to be true. In her mind, she was away from you two for about three hours, but just to be safe, don't talk about Gahiji or her death. What are you doing out here? Go back inside and see your daughter!" before I walked off, I hugged her tight.

"Thank you so much Ritsuko… you have no idea what this means to us…" she softly hugged me back.

"Go…" without a word, I walk back into the room to see Asuka on her bed cradling Dietlinde.

"She's already asleep… she must have been wiped out…" she still had a small tear in her eye, "Shinji… we have our daughter back…" I sit next to Asuka and wrap my arm around her, looking down at Dietlinde the whole time.

"You're the only one left that isn't a clone in this family…" she chuckled, "Seriously, you're now the only one that has actually been born! Well, a new baby will be coming pretty soon, but for the mean time…"

"Do you always have to look so deeply into things? Who cares if she's a clone or not, I'm just glad we have her back…" Asuka gently caressed Dietlinde's red hair, "God I love this child…" she lays back in her bed, setting Dietlinde's head on her chest, "I'm following her on this one, I'm tired…" with a smile, I lay next to her and turn off the light, "SEELE's gone, all of the sins and angels are gone, and Dietlinde's back… for once, things are looking up for us Shinji…" she leans over and pecks me on the cheek.

"Tell me about it… I don't think I've been this happy in my life…" I put my arm around her shoulders and pull her a little closer, "Just you and Dietlinde… and soon Asuka… could I possibly be any luckier?"

"No you couldn't…" she had joking voice on, but I was far from joking. I hoped that we could live like this from now on, I just wanted to be a normal, happy family. For once, if not for at least a day, just let me have peace of mind.

---

Asuka's Room – Morning – 10:00 AM

For the life of me I couldn't force myself out of bed. Dietlinde was neatly set in between me and Asuka – apparently she crawled around a bit when we were asleep! As always, she had that cute smile on her face. As I said before, she was always such a happy child, still, I've only heard her cry twice. My entire family was in my arms right now, and I loved it. I gently picked up Dietlinde as I got out of bed, trying not to wake Asuka.

"You want to help daddy make some breakfast?" though eyes still half closed, she still smiled up at me. Holding her in one arm, I start to get all of my normal breakfast items; a pan, eggs and bacon. That's all we ever have these days! After I got all of our food out, I realize something… we never bought any food for Dietlinde! Crap! "Looks like I'm going to have to run out… you wanna come?" by now she was fully awake, and apparently fully aware of what was going on. I could have sworn I saw her nod! After writing Asuka a note telling her where I was going, I set up Dietlinde in her stroller and walk quietly out of the room.

I was pushing my daughter down the hallway – the very same daughter that was dead not even a day ago. Damn I love science! When I finally got out to my car I find that this stroller could fold up into a car seat… thought I was going to have to leave her here! As I drove, I noticed Dietlinde staring at something on the steering wheel. Her eyes didn't avert from it, in fact, her stare was fairly intense. After a few minutes, I realize what she was looking at.

"Daddy got a new hand… well, body for that matter!" I hold my hand in front of the 'car seat' and she grabs onto my thumb. Her hands were so small; her entire hand was barely the size of my thumb. To think that eventually, she'll grow to be the size of Asuka… and we created that. That was probably the best part of being a parent; knowing that YOU created life.

"The light's green asshole!" I take back my hand and go back to concentrating on the road. I really need to break that habit of getting lost in thought!

"Looks like someone isn't having a good morning, huh?" Dietlinde lets out a small giggle. Well, knowing how much she took after Asuka, I know that Dietlinde will have a temper! Hell, I can already see a lot of her personality this early on in her life. When we finally get to the store I take Dietlinde out of the car and once again set up the stroller. "Let's see if we can't find you some food…" I got more than a few glances while walking into the store. I was a seventeen year old with a daughter, I'd stare too! After ignoring them and concentrating on my child, I walk to the baby isle… truthfully, it smelled like crap! The mix of baby food, baby powder, and diapers damn near brought a tear to my eye.

"Oh! Is this your baby?" an older woman walked in front of the stroller and leaned down.

"Um… yeah…" she leans back up and smiles at me.

"I'm sorry, but she doesn't look anything like you!" I let out a small chuckle.

"Yeah, she takes after her mother, my genes were basically thrown out the window!" the woman laughs a little.

"I know how that is, mine looks absolutely nothing like me. None the less, she looks like a very joyful child. What's her name?" yet another thing she got from Asuka!  
"Dietlinde," the woman drops her jaw, "What?"

"Are you talking about Dietlinde Ikari? The commander's daughter?" now how the hell… please don't tell me all of that got on the news! "Are you Commander Ikari?" I nervously rub the back of my head.

"Well… yeah… how do you know about her?" the woman was still surprised.

"I'm sorry… but wasn't she…" she took a long pause, trying to gather her words.

"Dead? Yeah, USED to be, she was cloned," I think I just confused her further… "Okay! Anyway, you obviously have more experience in this then I do, what food should I get? She's just barely coming off of breast feeding," come to think of it, she's only been fed solid food twice now.

"Wow… okay, I'd try a few different things and see what she likes. One suggestion though, stay away from the peas! Nothing fills a diaper faster then peas!" ew…

"Okay, I'll stay away! So what, just one of each?" she grabs a few cans off of the shelves and hands them to me.

"Just try those for now. Basic vegetables, she needs them. Need anything else?" Asuka's already bought food for Dietlinde, maybe I should have just waited.

"No, that's good. Thanks for the help," with a wave, I walk to the register and put down the armful of glass cans.

"Well isn't she cute! Will this be all?" was I always going to be stopped like this? Sure, I liked hearing how cute my daughter was, but damn.

"Yeah, thanks," I wasn't really in the mood to talk, I was still half asleep myself! I get out of the store as quickly as I could and drive off with Dietlinde next to me.

---

Asuka/Shinji's Room

A/N- Asuka first person time!

Either from the absents of warmth next to me or the fact that I just got done sleeping over twelve hours, I wake up. Where the hell was Shinji? Where was Dietlinde! Just as I start to look around, slightly frantic, I see a note taped to my stomach. 'Asuka, gone to store with Dietlinde, she needed food. Be back soon. Shinji.' He could have at least woken me up! Well, as long as he's taking care of Dietlinde, I'm fine. They could use some quality time together. I've been trying to forget that Dietlinde was ever gone, that she was always with us, but I've found it harder then I thought it would be. Images of her dead kept coming back to me, but they don't effect me the same way. Now I just see them as a horrible dream, I mean, Dietlinde's with us now, so they really have no meaning.

"Wonder if Shinji's noticed his ring yet…" I talk to myself in the empty room. I bought him another wedding ring and put it on him last night. It was exactly like the one before, but just like he did with mine, I engraved 'Nothing Will Ever Change That' on the inside. Knowing Shinji, he won't notice until I point it out! I swear, that man would leave his head behind if it wasn't attached to his body.

"Hey Asuka, can I come in?" just on cue, Sam knocks at the door. Why did she always come before noon? Couldn't she wait until afternoon like normal people?

"Yeah, sure," the door opens to show her in a long shirt with night pants on, "I take it you just woke up?" she rubbed her temples as she made her way to the sofa, "Go ahead and make yourself at home…" sarcasm… gotta love it!

"Sorry… I needed to ask you something. Why does it feel like someone just yelled at me with a megaphone? My head is killing me…" ahh, I knjow exactly how she feels!

"Yeah, get used to that feeling in the morning. Just wait until morning sickness! Now that's even more fun!" somehow I always managed to wake up before Shinji would when I went through that.

"Uhhh… please tell me you're kidding…" I grab her a glass of water and sit next to her.

"Here, drink this, it always helped me," almost like she was using a damn beer bong, it was gone, "And no, I'm not kidding. I'm actually surprised you're not moody yet, that's what really got me!"

"Stop talking so damn loud!" I spoke too soon…

"Sorry about that… trust me, it gets easier on your second child. Sure, I'm feeling the effects, but their milder than before," she leans her head back, continuing to rub her temples.

"I'm never having sex again… I swear…" yeah, that's what I said!

"Well Cass won't be too happy, now will he?" her head pops up and suddenly she looks excited.

"Oh! I came in here to tell you this! Can't believe I forgot! Me and Cass were talking… we were wondering if you and Shinji be our baby's godparents. You don't have to, we just thought that you'd like to," that really wasn't that much of a surprise.

"Really?" but I might as well act like it… "Yeah, I'd love to, and I'm sure Shinji will too.

"Thanks…" I know that she was expecting me to offer the same thing, and I DID consider it for a moment, but I just don't trust Cass enough. They would have three children AND bills to pay, it just can't be done at their age. Me and Shinji are different, because of his position at NERV, we – and all of our family – are supported by the NERV budget. Come to think of it, I wanted to talk to Shinji about that. In my mind, I thought that Ritsuko would be a pretty good guardian. I mean she's smart, she's good with kids, she's strict, and I really believe that if anything were to happen to me and Shinji, she would raise Dietlinde and the new baby like her own.

"If you want to stick around and eat, Shinji will be coming back pretty soon," she once again laid her head back.

"Why? Getting you another car I'm guessing?" she mustered a faint laugh.

"No, baby food. We didn't have any so, you know," she once again chuckles.

"Already buying food for the baby? Isn't this a little early?" oh! She didn't know about Dietlinde! Huh… I think I might want to surprise her…

"Nah, the stuff damn near never expires, so I guess he just went out early… really early!" I wonder what she'll do…

"That's so like Shinji… he's one of a kind Asuka, you should keep him around," like I didn't know that! I've almost died twice now just from not having him around! In reality – and as corny as this sounded – I really couldn't live without him.

"Yeah, I'm thinking about it…" just then Shinji came through the door holding a bag of jars and pushing Dietlinde in her crib, "Speak of the devil…"

"Hey Asuka, Sam. Good morning," more like good afternoon! "How are my two mothers to be doing?" Sam groaned, "That bad? Yeah, Asuka was bad too back then. How are you feeling Asuka?"

"Just dandy!" I think Sam got some hint of Dietlinde, because her head popped up. It could have been a number of things; the stroller, the slowness of his walking… hell, knowing Sam, she probably smelled Dietlinde!

"Shinji… what's up with the stroller?" he looks at me confused and I give him the sign to tell her.

"Oh, well I kind of need something to carry Dietlinde in… I only have two hands!" it was apparent to both me and Shinji that she was confused, "Oh, and by the way, Dietlinde's back," right on cue, Dietlinde let out a giggle.

"Holy crap! How'd that happen?" there ya go!

"Well, you know how Akagi cloned Shinji? Same thing," I swear, Sam nearly fainted right there!

"Why didn't you tell us?" actually… we kinda forgot!

"We wanted it to be a surprise," Shinji's a liar…

"Well mission accomplished! Damn! Hold on," She leaps up and walks out of the room.

"Wait for it…" we hear mumbling through the wall, "Wait for it…" the voices get louder, "Wait for it…"

"WHAT!" there… Cass comes storming into out room and looks down at Dietlinde panting, "Ho… ly… crap… she's really back…" he looked up at Shinji and smirked, "Do you Ikaris ever REALLY die? I mean come on! She was gone what, two months? You were gone a few DAYS, and both of you have evaded death on damn near a daily basis…" he chuckles, "I swear, you two will never die… I can see it now, Ikari Family, all more than two hundred years old!" if things kept going the way they were, that was a possibility!

"Well, I'd be fine with that!" we all have a good laugh, even Dietlinde! "okay, but seriously, I need to feed Dietlinde, she hasn't eaten in a few months!" I pick her up out of her crib with a smile, "You're hungry, huh?" Dietlinde once again giggled. I took one of the jars out of the bag Shinji was holding and set her up in the high chair.

"Thanks for the help Asuka, and I'm happy about Dietlinde being back!" Sam drug Cass out of the room as always.

"Shinji, come here for a sec," before I promise anything to Sam I needed to make sure it was okay with Shinji, "Sam asked us to be their child's godparents. You up to that? I mean, I'm fine with it if you are," I think I actually saw him smile!

"Sure, I'd love to… but what about Dietlinde and the new baby? Who will be their godparents? Sam and Cass?" like I said before, I just don't trust Cass.

"You know, I thought about that, and I really don't think so. I mean, they'd have three children and one income. Our children just won't grow up happy… I was thinking Akagi," I could see him cringe a little. I take it he was still mad at her about the whole restraint thing, but still, she would be good.

"Yeah… I guess you're right…" he watched over my shoulder as I begin to feed Dietlinde.

"You want to try?" I hold out the spoon to him right after I give Dietlinde her first bit.

"Um… you think she'll eat from me? You're the only person that she's eaten from…" I shove the spoon and jar in his hands.

"Do we have to have this conversation again? Look, you are her father, she likes you!" with a nervous smile, he stands in front of her high chair and I move aside, "Now just remember to go slow," carefully, he takes a spoonful of carrots and brings it in front of her face. By now she was used to being fed, so she really took bites on her own. The whole time she stared at Shinji with her normal curious eyes. Like Shinji said, I was always the one to feed her, this is foreign to her. I have to admit though, I do NOT miss breast feeding! Hurt like hell when she was doing it!

"This is easier than I thought…" he acted as if he was fighting an angel! After a few more minutes, the jar was empty.

"See? Now was that so bad? Now move aside, unless you want to clean up vomit, she needs to be burped!" he backed up ten steps instantly, "Drama queen…" I throw a towel over my shoulder and set Dietlinde up, "Pay attention, because you're doing this next time," with a few soft whacks on her back, she burps, "See?"

"I gotta hit her that hard?" I barely even touched her!

"Oh come on! She's not made out of glass, a few hits won't kill her, if anything it'll help her!" trust me, I've learned that one the hard way! the first time I fed Dietlinde, I ended up having to throw away my favorite shirt!

"Okay, if you say so… oh, I was wondering, did you want to go check out a few houses and see if we can find one we like?" I throw the towel into the laundry and carry Dietlinde back to her stroller.

"Sure, why not? We don't have anything better to do… I'm only looking for one thing though…" I walk by and gently trace my finger across his chest, "Thick walls…"

A/N- Asuka flirting, what's new? So yeah, say hello to Dietlinde again! Just so you all know, I've had this planned out since the beginning, so HA! So basically the whole next chapter will be house shopping, and it will be written in Asuka's first person. I'm going to start doing that every other chapter now just to mix things up a bit. I like it anyway! So yeah, read the next chapter; A New Home, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	107. A New Home

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Chapter 107: A New Home

A/N- This chapter was proof-read by Frost-Eva-04. Thanks for the help!

A/A/N- So yeah, like I said before, every other chapter will be written in Asuka's first person. This is one of those chapters, and then it will be Shinji and so on.

Akagi's Office – 2:00 PM

"You want what? Why?" like always, I was the one to explain what we needed. It wasn't even really a want; it was really becoming a necessity due to our children. Did she really expect us to raise two children in one room?

"Because when we only had Dietlinde, that was fine, but with another baby on the way, we need something bigger. Please? All I'm asking for is one of those forms," maybe I'm not always the one to explain…

"You do realize that you'll be out of the safety of NERV, no one will be there to protect you," I… really didn't like that idea. Hell, I was fine; it was our children who I was worried about.

"I'll have cameras set up in the house, if anything goes wrong, the police will be down there within minutes. Ritsuko, we're adults now, we don't need constant protection," adults NOW? We've had adult responsibilities since we were fourteen! I'm pretty sure saving the world classified us as adults!

"I know that Shinji, but after I saw what happened in NERV of all places… I just don't want you two to go through that again," maybe this was a bad idea…

"If you think I'm going to live there without a little protection of my own, you need to think a little deeper. Though the idea isn't exactly appealing, I'm going to buy a gun and have it our room in case anything goes wrong," Shinji seemed… different somehow. He was actually acting like a grown man… not that he always didn't do that, but it's just… I can't put a finger on it.

"I can get you a bigger room here. There's one in another wing of NERV that's pretty big, about twice the size of your's right now…" was Ritsuko… wanting us to stay?

"I'd rather leave NERV. Too many things have gone wrong here, I'm not going to risk more," he was right. Gahiji was able to get to Dietlinde, and then some other creep from SEELE got to me when I was with Cass.

"Okay… I'm going to miss you two..." she hands Shinji one of those forms, "It's been nice having you around. If you ever need anything from me, just ask," Shinji signs the paper with a small smile.

"We're going to miss you too Rits, but we'll visit every now and then," she looked at me and smiled.

"Promise?" I hate it when she acts like a child!

"Yeah, we promise," to my surprise and hers, Shinji leaned over the desk and hugged Ritsuko. She accepted it and hugged him back with a tear in her eye. What's so sad about this? It's not like we're moving across Japan! I'm guessing that we'll be within four miles of NERV; even I didn't want to move away that far. I pick Dietlinde up from her stroller and cradle her.

"You're daddy's a real emotional, you know that? I gotta be the tough one," I lightly kiss her forehead as she smiled up at me.

"If I remember right, when you were pregnant with Dietlinde you were quite the emotional yourself," I turn back around to see both Shinji and Ritsuko starting at me with a smile.

"How about you carry around ten pounds for seven months and see how you feel!" come to think of it, those ten pounds have really grown! Dietlinde was about fifteen to twenty pounds right now, and compared to what she was when she was born, that's a huge difference!

"No, I'm good thanks," as Shinji walked past me with the paper in hands, he pecked me on the lips, "Thanks again Ritsuko. Oh, before I forget, when you start to pack, just call me. I wanted to help you out a little," as we walked off she waved.

"Will do," we close the door behind us and Shinji smiles at Dietlinde and showed her the paper.

"We're getting a new house!" she giggled at him.

"Hey Shinji, I was thinking that we should get a fairly big house. Sam and Cass will be having a baby soon too, so I thought maybe they could live with us…" I'm such a liar! I just didn't want to leave my friends!

"Sure, why not? I wouldn't mind that at all, but we still have to ask them of course," like they wouldn't say yes!

"Yeah, I know. Before we go out let's ask, I don't want a huge house and find out that they don't want to!" I wasn't about to do all of that cleaning! We start to walk to their room, and knowing how Sam is right now, I knock softly, "Hey Sam, can we come in?"

"Yeah…" she still had her 'please kill me' voice on. We walk in to see Cass coming out of the bathroom with an ice-bag in his hands.

"Oh, hey guys, you need something?" he gently puts it on her head and she smiles up at him.

"Yeah, we were wondering if you wanted to move out of this place and in to our house. All being paid for by NERV of course!" hell, everything in our lives was being paid for by NERV! Food, clothes, family, housing, everything!

"Wait… what? You guys are moving out?" Sam simply smiled, compared to Cass who was about to faint.

"Yeah, we are, but we were wondering if you wanted to live with us. I mean, with two babies on the way it'd be a pretty good idea to live together. You want to?" I still held Dietlinde – who was still staring up at me – in my arms.

"Um… sure, I guess… just don't make us all live in some small apartment!" I take it that Sam was still hurting!

"Don't worry about that. Do you want to come with?" Sam waves her hand in the air.

"Nah, I'm good right here…"

"And I better stay here to make sure Sam's okay, you two just chose. I'm sure it'll be fine," he sits next to a smiling Sam. With a shrug, we walk out of the room. Hey, if they wanted us to chose, we will!

"So Asuka, what are you looking for in the house… aside from thick walls…" I smile seductively at him, and as always, he blushes. I really don't get that; the simplest of things could make him blush, but when we were actually having sex, he was normal… Shinji confuses me!

"Well, for Dietlinde and the new baby I want to be fairly close to a school and in a safe neighborhood. It obviously has to have two stories for Sam and Cass, and it should have a big kitchen," then Shinji can make even better meals!

"Okay that should be easy enough… we should still have thick walls though, right?" I couldn't help but chuckle.

"Hey, if you want, sure… ah crap…"

"What?"

"No, seriously… can we go back to our room real quick? Dietlinde needs to be changed," that's about the only downside of being a parent… the Goddamn diapers! Without missing a beat, he turns the stroller around and unlocks our room, "How about a little warning next time, huh?" she smiles up at me… was she mocking me!

"Asuka, she's a baby," I was joking!

"I know that!" I set Dietlinde up on her changing table and change her with quick skill. I have to admit, the lessons with Akagi on how to change Dietlinde were annoying, but they sure paid off! "I gotta teach you how to change diapers, I'm not going to be doing two babies!" if thought that I was going to become the stereotypical house wife, he's sadly mistaken!

"Yeah, I know. How about I do the next one?" hey, as long as he does it!

"Sure, if you want, I'll guide ya through it!" seriously, it's harder then it looks! He grabs the diaper bag and puts it in the stroller, "Okay, NOW we can go," once again, I carry Dietlinde out of the room.

"Any idea where we should start? I know of an elementary school about two miles from here, is that what you wanted? I think they also have a preschool attached to it, so I think that'd work," well that's some good news; we won't have to move for at least nine years.

"Yeah, let's check that out," this was exciting! Getting our own house, having two children… it really feels like we're adults now.

"You want to leave Dietlinde with Rits?" truthfully, I'm not going to leave Dietlinde with anyone anymore unless it's at school. What happened really made me evaluate my parenting skills.

"No, we need her to help, don't we?" I rub my nose against Dietlinde's, making her giggle, "If she's a smart as her mommy, then we could use the extra head!" seriously, I wonder if she will be smart. I mean, she's already shown signs of intellect.

"Yeah, that's true," he gives me that warm smile of his. When we finally get out to the car – HIS car – he puts the stroller and diaper bag in the trunk and I sit in the passenger's side with Dietlinde in my arms.

"We really should have taken my old van, this isn't safe for Dietlinde…" if we got into an accident, she'd fly out of my arms.

"Yeah, you're right… you want to go get it?" no, I didn't want to go BACK again, but I didn't want to do this.

"Yeah, I-" before I could finish my sentence, he took off back to NERV's entrance running as fast as he could. What's happened to him these last few years? When I first met him, he could not have been more of a wimp, but now… he's really grown up. The first time he actually held me in his arms was the night of the party, and that's when I finally admitted to myself that I liked him… quite a bit actually. It wasn't love by any stretch, but it was still a start. Through that year that I knew him, I was always too busy teasing or ridiculing him to see what was really happening. It could have just been me, but when he held me, he was strong… he had actually began to grow into a man, and the result is my husband. Whether he admits it or not, he is pretty well cut. A faint six pack is visible, and his arms were very noticeably muscular. How these muscles developed is beyond me. Sure, back when we piloted the Evas we all got a good workout, hell, even I had some strong muscles, but he managed to keep them up. Does he work out behind my back? I really can't imagine him in a gym or even running around to gain muscle mass.

"Okay! Back!" I see him running back out of NERV, somehow even faster then when he left. He went back into the trunk and got the stroller and diaper bag.

"That was fast," he wasn't even breathing hard! How did he run all that way without even losing his breath?

"Yeah? Well, I ran you know," even if, that was still fast as hell! I set up Dietlinde's car seat in the back and get in the front myself, "Okay, let's see if we can find a nice house!" as he drove off; I couldn't help but stare at his forearm. My mind kept on wandering back to the same question; how was he muscular? So eventually, I asked.

"Shinji? Do you work out?" he looks over at me with a confused look.

"No, why?" okay, so he wasn't lying, I could always tell.

"Look at yourself, you're ripped!" once again, he looked confused.

"Me? No, I'm just not scrawny," like I said before, he'll deny it. To prove a point, I hit his stomach with the side of my fist. Like I expected, my hand simply bounced off. In fact, he actually laughed a little.

"See? That was actually tickling you! Seriously Shinji, how do you stay in shape?" he simply shrugs.

"I guess piloting the Evas did that… I still don't think I'm THAT strong," well he was able to carry me out to the parking lot that one time, and he only had one hand!

"But we stopped piloting awhile ago… well… aside from the last time," he died, so that doesn't really count, "C'mon Shinji, just tell me… please?" I give him those eyes that he would do anything for, and he sighs.

"Fine… I've been going to the NERV gym once a week in the morning… sorry I didn't tell you, but I thought that you'd think it was stupid," hey, if this is the result, I'm fine!

"Why did you start?" so Shinji did care about looks… I knew it!

"Because I felt like I couldn't protect you outside of an Eva… I know that it's stupid, but-" I put my finger over his lips.

"I don't think that it's stupid at all, I think it's actually pretty sweet… but you're also an asshole for not telling me!" I – of course – was being sarcastic, "So tell me… how much can you lift?" he blushed a little.

"Not too much…" he took a short pause, "About two-seventy benching…" he's got to be kidding!

"Wait… not that much? You lift two-seventy, and you're saying that it isn't much?" hell, I bet all I could do is a little over one-fifty…

"Well, compared to a lot of the guys there, it's not that much…" apparently his self confidence was crap when it came to bodies.

"Hey, enough for me!" seriously, I had no idea he was THAT strong! "Hey Shinji? You mind taking me with you after I give birth? Getting off those extra pounds is hard as hell!" before I actually looked pregnant, I was just starting to get my figure back.

"Sure, if you want, I'd be happy to… just try not to show me up too much!" yeah, like I'd be able to do that! "Okay, now let's see if we can find a house actually for sale…" the school was just across the street, and still in session. After a few minutes of driving through the maze of streets, we come across a fairly big two story house with a 'For Sale' sign up front.

"How about that one? I like the look of it," it was a plain cream color… that actually appealed to me for some reason. He pulls into the driveway and one woman comes walking out of the house. We get out of the car and I pick Dietlinde up.

"Why hello there! Are you here to look at the house?" there was something different about this woman…

"Yeah, we are," she stops as they see Dietlinde in my arms.

"Um… we're going to need to your parents for you to buy this house… you're too young," I really hate it when they do this!

"Ugh… let's get this out of the way. This is my daughter, we're not too young, and I'm the head of NERV, so if you don't mind, can we see the house?" Shinji flashes his ID, and as always, she cowers before it.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! Let me show you around," she goes to put her arm around Shinji, but he ducks and smiles nervously.

"Sorry," he rushes back over to me and puts his arm around my shoulders, "But I don't think my wife would be happy about that!" oh great, now he's putting this on me! The woman actually laughs as he guides us into the house.

"Oh, real funny Shinji," he smiles down at me.

"Hey, I had to do something!" Dietlinde giggles at her father's tone. We walk through the door and immediately notice that the entire house reeked of a strong smelling candle. Dietlinde buried her face in my chest, obviously trying to get away from the smell.

"Okay, before we start, you should know that all of the furniture comes included, along with the fridge, washer and dryer. Is that okay?" come to think of it, we don't even have so much as a chair to move in with!

"Yeah, sure," Shinji answered before I had the chance.

"Good. Well this is the living room," all of the walls were the same color as the outside, only high gloss. Not much to say, it was pretty plain. A sofa here, a few chairs there, nothing special, "Now let me show you the kitchen. It was custom designed down the finest detail," Shinji's eyes light up when he sees the kitchen… I had to admit, it was pretty damn good, "Ahh, do we have a cook here?" she crosses her arms and looks at Shinji with a smile.

"Yeah, he's my personal chief!" she laughs a little.

"Anyway, the stove is gas powered, as is the oven. There's something like five cubic yards of counter space," damn! I mean, I knew it was big, but holy crap!

"Wow… and what are the counters made of?" Shinji goes up and scratches the counter with his thumb.

"Um… granite I think," Shinji smiled and nods.

"Okay, we can move on now," what was going on in his mind right now? Probably planning out his first meal in this house as we speak! The woman guides us to a short hallway with two doors.

"Okay, on the left is the master bedroom. Like I said before, it has all furniture including a king sized bed. That door is the master bathroom, but there's another one upstairs a little smaller. Let's go up there now," she guides us up the stairs and into a room slightly smaller than the master bedroom, "This room is only two feet narrower than the master bedroom, so it's kinda like a second master. The bathroom – just so you know – is right here," she reached into a small hole in the wall and opened it, "It's a hidden door. Not too sure why my ex bought it, but hell, I don't know why he does half the stuff he does," I had to admit, that was pretty cool, "And then there's two guest rooms down the hall… one I take it will be her room, no?" Dietlinde still had her face buried in my chest. Hell, I wish I could do that! My eyes are actually starting to water!

"Yeah… so what's the asking price?" the woman laughs at Shinji's question.

"Well… how's a million sound?" Shinji nearly faints. How could it be so cheap?

"Hold on, a million YEN?" she nods, "Why so cheap?"

"Long story short, me and my husband are getting divorced, and I want to screw him over one last time," Shinji busts out laughing, "Yeah, that's why I'm doing it. Anything coming out of the sale of this house he gets!" I had to admit, I'd do the exact same thing!

A/N- One million yen is about ten thousand dollars.

"Okay, where do we sign?" looks like we found our new home…

---

Ten Minutes Later

Shinji was just finishing up signing all of the papers to get the deed. The woman was overjoyed when she learned that NERV was going to be paying for it… knowing NERV, it'll take them a few years to pay it off completely! When we were done, she guides us back out of the house. When we get outside, Dietlinde takes a deep breath, and frankly, so do we.

"So… say hello to our new home!" the woman said that we could move in next month. Packing for us is basically two suitcases each. All we owned were clothes; no furniture, nothing, "You think Sam and Cass will like it?" Shinji looked over at me with a smile.

"Yeah, I do… at least I hope! I just signed off on it!" I set Dietlinde back in her car seat and once again get in next to Shinji, "I wonder how Sam's doing…"

"Well, if she's doing as good as me when I was pregnant with Dietlinde… she's pretty bad!" seriously, being pregnant SUCKS! Akagi said that after the first birth it's easier to give birth… I sure as hell hope so! There's really no words that can describe just how painful that is.

"Any idea what we can do to help her?" actually, there was something.

"Yeah… basically a bullet to the head! But seriously, all she needs is rest," truthfully, I've had to keep my emotions under control today. My hormones were once again screwed up, and I feel like I could blow up over the smallest thing.

"Okay, if you think so…" he pulls out of he driveway and gets back onto the main road, "So… what now? Want to just go home?" I didn't want to go home, but what else was there to do?

"Sure, I guess," damn it… what ever happened to that assertive girl? Eh… I guess I've just matured… we eventually make our way back home and back into our room. Sam and Cass didn't answer the door, so we took it that they were asleep… or at least Sam was and Cass didn't want to wake her. I set Dietlinde in her crib and go into the bathroom.

"Hey Asuka?" couldn't he wait until I was done?

"What is it?" not exactly in the mood to chat, my voice was harsh.

"Did… you put this note on the bed?" I walk back out of the bathroom to see him holding a small piece of paper, "It says to look in the closet…"

"It was probably Sam or Cass… okay, Cass. He's just pulling another prank on us," Shinji didn't looks so sure, "Fine, I'll do it," I start to walk towards the closet, but he grabs my wrist.

"This isn't Cass… I know his handwriting… listen, I want you to grab Dietlinde and wait down the hall. Don't argue, just do it," his voice was sharp… I did as I was told, not wanting to upset him. What was going on? If it wasn't Cass, then who? I hear a few clicking noises, then a crash.

"Shinji? You okay?" the noise stopped and I hear him sigh.

"Asuka, cover Dietlinde's eyes with something," that voice… I know that voice… I put Dietlinde over my shoulder, making her look behind me. I see Shinji walk back out holding a man in a headlock with a gun in his mouth. The man was in a full black army uniform. In a way, he kind of looked like someone from SWAT, "Stand in front of me and walk down the hall… hold Dietlinde, don't let her see me," when I get over to him I put Dietlinde back in my arms, "I swear to God, you pull anything… okay, walk down to Akagi's office," with trembling legs, I walk down the hall. I think Dietlinde picked up on my nervousness, because even she had a concerned face on.

"Shinji, what's going on?"

"Not now, don't talk…"

A/N- Hello! Well, some good, some bad. They got a new house, but now what's going on? Not much more to say aside from that, so read the next chapter; New View, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	108. New View

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

A/N- This chapter has been proof-read by Frost-Eva-04. Thanks for the help, as always!

A/A/N- Sorry this took so long to update, but I've had some things going on lately. But here it is! Chapter 109 SHOULD be up by the end of next week. Oh yeah, about the 'no action' thing… what I should have said is that no on important will die (ex. Asuka, Shinji, Sam, Cass, etc.). Sorry about the misunderstanding.

Chapter 108: New View

Hallway – 1:00 PM (Same Time)

"Not now, don't talk…" I glance back and see the man with fire in his eyes, obviously angry about what was happening. Shinji had those cold, heartless eyes that I've seen too many times.

"Who is this guy?" I couldn't keep quiet! My husband had a gun to some guy's throat!

"I said stop talking!" Dietlinde jumped a little at the yelling, and frankly, so did I, "What the fuck were you doing in my room?" Shinji takes the gun and puts it under his chin, "You got thirty seconds…"

"I'm… I'm from… I am SEELE… you killed off all of them… you killed them all!" he struggles, but Shinji grips him tighter.

"I recommend you calm down… Asuka, keep on walking, we need to get him in handcuffs…" I continue to walk with a shaking Dietlinde in my arms. After a few seconds, I feel a sharp poking in the back of my head, "You son of a bitch!"

"You pull that trigger and she's dead, you got that? Now get away from me…" no movements were made, "Now!" he shoves the back of my head a little harder. I hear Shinji back away, breathing heavily.

"Sh-Shinji?" my breathing was uneasy, and I was barely able to hold Dietlinde my arms were shaking so violently.

"It's okay Asuka, you'll be fine… just don't move…" his voice was shaky as well.

"Turn around…" I don't make a move, not wanting Dietlinde to see this, "I said…" he puts a hand on the side of my head, "Turn around!" he throws me around, almost making me drop Dietlinde.

"Hey!" he whips around and elbows Shinji across the face, sending him to the floor. I saw a small yet deep cut form on his face.

"Hey what?" Dietlinde was staring at the gun with wide eyes and a dropped jaw. I hold her a little closer, trying to comfort her. The man sees this and smiles down at her, "Let me guess, this is Dietlinde?" he leans down and looks at her as I back up, "You two stole my life from me… all over this little brat…" he tapped her head with his fingers, and I once again back out of his reach.

"Don't touch her…" Dietlinde was still staring at the gun. She would occasionally glance up at him, but her attention mainly focused on the hunk of metal.

"Don't touch her? Is that what you just said?" he shoves the gun barrel to her head, "Then how about this?" I hold her against my body and completely freeze up. Out of nowhere, Shinji leaps at the man and pins him against the wall by his neck. He shoves the gun under his chin and sends a stream of blood shooting up the wall. He holds the man there for a few seconds before letting him fall to the floor.

"Are… you okay?" he turns around and goes wide eyed. Dietlinde had been watching the whole thing, and she was already teary eyed, "Dietlinde…" he takes a step towards her with his arms out. She grabs onto me and buries her face in my chest with a soft whine.

"She's fine… she just needs to calm down…" I held her over my shoulder away from Shinji. She was just scared from the gunshot… that's it…

"Yeah…" he turned around, "Just follow me…" he put the gun in his back pants and began to walk. Dietlinde was still whining into the cloth of my shirt. We eventually came to Akagi's door and he simply walked in.

"Oh, hey Shin… what happened to you? Are you okay?" she walked up to him but he took a step back.

"There's a man in the hallway. I want him to be checked out for anything suspicious. Check his clothing, and have him sent in for an autopsy. Have NERV searched from top to bottom, and have it done within the next few hours. Do you understand?" I always hated when he had to become the commander, he just didn't sound human.

"Um… y-yeah… what happened?" Akagi looked down at Dietlinde with gained a very concerned face.

"SEELE… listen; just have NERV searched as quickly as possible. Come with us, I don't want you alone in here. We're going to Sam and Cass's room, come on," with obvious nervousness, she follows us out of the room. How many damn times do we have to kill SEELE before they're actually dead? Following Shinji, we eventually make our way to Sam and Cass's room, "Hey guys, its Shinji, can I come in?" I hear someone sigh and the door swings open.

"What the hell is going on!" Cass held a gun in his hands as Sam clung to his arm, fear tracing her face.

"I don't know, but we need to stay together," Cass moves aside and we all walk in, "Okay, I want all of you to stay in the bathroom, me and Cass will be out here. DO NOT come out and DON'T make a noise, got it?" He guides us into the bathroom and closes the door without so much as a word.

"What's going on?" Sam was damn near shaking; they must have heard what happened outside.

"I'm not too sure," I hold Dietlinde a little closer to me; "Do you know Rits?" She rubes her eyes and sighs.

"No idea… I'm guessing that it's the last of SEELE…" I swear, if they're not gone after this, I'll find them myself!

"Cass… you hear that?" we all hear Shinji whispering to Cass, "It sounds like-" then a loud bang echoed through the entire room… it sounded like a gun… I jet out of the bathroom and see Shinji lying on his stomach on the floor with a large red spot on his back.

"You son of a bitch!" I hear another bang and look up to see Cass holding a man up with one arm, blood now dripping to the floor.

"Shin… ji…" not again… he can't die again…

"Damn it Asuka! Turn around!" Cass jets over to me and whips me around. Dietlinde then begins to cry, either from the loud noise or seeing her father like that, "Akagi, Shinji's been shot!" she comes rushing and goes wide eyed, "Cut the dramatics for one damn second! Help me get him to the hospital! Grab his leg and I'll get his arms," Akagi does as she was told without any fight, and soon my husband was out of the room, dripping blood on the floor the whole way.

"It's okay baby…" trying to ignore my own tears, I start to cradle Dietlinde to get her to calm down, "Shhhh, mommy's here," I had to get her away from this gory sight or this is just going to get worse. As much as it's going to kill me, I have to go back to our room… at least until she calms down. Leaving Sam behind – like I cared at this point – I walk out of the room and go into ours, "How about a nice bath to calm you down?" she always seemed so relaxed during a bath, so why shouldn't that work now? With her crying the entire time, I run the bath and gently set her in after disrobing her, "There…" she wouldn't stop crying though, the entire time I was washing her, she just never stopped crying.

Was she really that scared? I mean, how does she even know to BE scared of a gunshot? Sure, it's a loud noise, but that's all it is to her at this age, just a loud noise… right? She just saw her father and Cass kill a man… then watched her father get shot… is that it? Was she scared of Shinji now? The way she reacted to him when he tried to pick her up… it was heart breaking… it was almost as if she was terrified by him now. But he's her father; she should get over it… I hope…

"Come on…" I pick her up out of the tub and dry her off, "It's okay Dietlinde, daddy's fine," by the time I was done dressing her, she was still crying full force. This was starting to get scary for me; if she really is that scared of Shinji without him around, what will she be like WITH him around? I really hope this comes to pass…

"Asuka? Can I come in?" I hear Akagi knock at the door, "I need to talk with you about Shinji," why don't I like the sound of that? I open the door and she looks at a sobbing Dietlinde, "Okay, first off, Shinji's fine. He's in surgery right now, but he'll be fine. Second… I needed to talk with you about her… did she see Shinji actually shot that man?" I close my eyes and nod.

"It was my fault… I turned around and let her see him…" Ritsuko sighs. It was instinct to turn around, it's not like I wanted her to see him!

"She's probably just startled, but I would have Shinji slowly get closer to her. If he were to come in and pick her up for instance, it might scare her and only make her relationship with him worse. He won't be able to come out of the hospital room for about three days, so that should give her time to calm down," did I just ruin their relationship? What if I did? I could never forgive myself…

"O-Okay… what about Dietlinde?" she once again sighs.

"Well, I'm not a mother, so I really don't know much about babies. I guess just hold her for awhile, that might calm her down," she puts a hand on my shoulder, "I'm sorry she went through that Asuka, good luck, I have to go back to Shinji," she closed the door and left me with the crying infant.

"How about we lay down for a little bit, huh?" I give her a sweet smile, and oddly, that seemed to calm her down slightly. I lie down on our bed and set her on my stomach, laying her head on my chest, "Its okay… I'm here…" I start to slowly rub her back and after a few minutes, the sobbing withered down to a slight whimpering, "I love you Dietlinde…" she slowly drifted off to sleep, tears still on her face. I'm thankful that she was able to go to sleep; she really needed it after today.

I think she noticed my pregnant stomach because she was staring at it for quite awhile. I really hope she doesn't have any issues with her new sibling, I mean, she was still young herself; she might feel as if she was being replaced. No matter what happens, we have to make sure that we don't neglect her. Both of these children will need equal attention, not one over the other. Not only that, but yet another child will soon be making an appearance; Sam and Cass's. Sure, it may not be ours, but we will be living under the same roof. Then another thought crossed my mind… what if their baby is a boy? We plan to live in that house for a LONG time to come, so what would happen when they finally go through puberty? Well… me and Shinji did that… of course, look what happened! Two children and a marriage! But we didn't exactly grow up together; we just went through our adolescence together… which didn't exactly help! We were both going through puberty; puberty meant raging hormones; and raging hormones meant sexual desire. Though I may have hated him the majority of the time when we were back in Misato's, I'd be a liar if I said that I never got any ideas. I know he felt the same way too! Well, I guess we'll just have to deal with that when the time comes, as for now… this is good for me…

---

That Night – 9:00 PM

I wake up to Dietlinde shifting herself on my chest. I must have dozed off for a little bit… I glace at the clock and damn near fall out of bed. Nine at night! I slept all day! I hold Dietlinde in my arms and stand up after rubbing my eyes.

"Looks like we'll both be up for awhile, huh baby?" to my surprise, she actually giggled at my tone, "Sleep good?" look at me! I'm having a conversation with a baby! I chuckle as I walk out of the room. I knew this might not be the best of ideas, but I was going to see Shinji. Dietlinde needed to fix this problem fast, if we drag this on too long, it might affect her to the point of not ever getting close to him again. After asking a good four nurses, I find his room and see him peacefully asleep on the bed. When Dietlinde saw him she immediately buried her face in my chest like before, "It's okay Dietlinde, calm down," she slowly looks up at me as I sit in the chair next to my husband. The only noise that could be heard for quite awhile was the constant beeping of his heart monitor. After summing up the mental courage, I slowly bring her up and set her on his chest. She immediately began to whine and move on him, but I didn't pick her back up. Shinji started to stir himself and when he opened his eyes the first sight was his daughter looking up at him with teary eyes.

"Dietlinde…" I grab his hand and smile at him.

"Hold her… no matter what happens, just hold her," I take my hand off of Dietlinde as he wraps his arms around her.

"Asuka… I don't think this is a good idea… she's shaking…" she did everything she could to hide her face from him, even going as far as to bury her face in his shirt.

"It doesn't matter; she has to get over this. No more talking to me, this is just you and her," he looks back down at Dietlinde and with unsteady hands, raises her head to look at him.

"Dietlinde… its daddy, remember?" she clenched her eyes shut and turned her head. This was heart breaking! Those two used to be so close, but now look! He slowly brought her back down and kissed her forehead, "Come on, look at me…" she slowly opens her eyes to him smiling, "There's those beautiful eyes…" he wipes away one of her tears with his thumb, "I'm sorry you had to see that honey… I promise, I'll never put you through that again," he once again kisses her forehead. To both of our surprises, she smiles up at him. It may have been faint, but it was obviously present, "Thank you Dietlinde…" he hugged her tight against his body. That sure wasn't too hard! I knew it wouldn't be, she loves him no matter what.

"I think I'll leave the father and daughter alone for a few minutes," with a quick peck on the cheek for both of them, I leave to room to see Akagi with a teary smile, "You're always such an emotional!" she chuckles a little, "So I take it you were watching?"

"Yeah… good job Asuka…" she wipes her tears away and lost the smile, "Okay, now, I need to talk with you about something. Before we start, I need you to promise me that you won't tell Shinji about this, okay?" how many damn times is she going to freak me out today?

"Um… okay… why do I have a feeling I won't like this?" she puts her and on my back and guides me down the hallway.

"You won't. Remember how we had to remove one of your ovaries after you were shot?" I put my hand on my pelvis and smile.

"No, I completely forgot about that painful as hell surgery, yes I remember!" she doesn't smile… crap…

"I'm not joking here Asuka. I was looking over your surgery detail today as a standard checkup. I missed something last time… the other one was damaged somehow; I'm still not sure how… it'll have to be removed too…" I stop dead in my tracks.

"But… that would mean…" she cuts me off.

"I know. After the baby is born, we'll remove it… I'm sorry Asuka… you won't be able to bear any more children…" I know that we already had two, but Dietlinde will be moving out when we're only in our thirties… we could have more…

"Will this affect our new baby?" she shakes her head with a small smile.

"That's about the only thing that can be considered good news right now. It'll be fine, but we'll have to remove it right after you deliver. It won't take too long, only about half an hour, but you'll be in pain afterwards, so we'll keep you in the hospital two days. I'm really sorry about this, but if I leave it there, you risk serious infection later on," damn it… I may not want more children now but… I don't know…

"Okay… but I'm not going to keep this from Shinji. He has the right to know," she shrugs.

"That was just advice for now. I wouldn't tell him tonight though, he's been through enough," I will be telling him in the morning though!

"Okay… is that it?" I think she was surprised at my reaction to it – and frankly, so was I – but I couldn't let it get to me too bad.

"Yeah… you can go back to him now if you want, he's probably missing you already!" with a friendly wave, I walk back to his room to see him already back asleep with Dietlinde staring up at him. I pick her up and walk out of the room, "We'll come back tomorrow, okay? For now, how about we watch some TV until we get tired?"

A/N- Well, looks like no more children are on the way after this one is born. Its official, Asuka is sterile! Looks like Shinji will save a lot of money on condoms now, huh? Anyway, we're going to have another time jump next chapter to when… you know what? I ain't gonna say! Just read the next chapter; Shinji Knows Best, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	109. Shinji Knows Best

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Chapter 109: Shinji Knows Best

Shinji/Asuka's Room – One Week Later – 5:00 PM

"Um… got any fives?" Asuka rolls her eyes as she hands me a card. After taking a second to stare at her own cards, she closes her eyes and stands up.

"Okay! I think I'm gonna give up now!" Dietlinde giggled at her mother, "Oh yeah, laugh it up little girl!" somehow, even Dietlinde managed to beat Asuka… she leans down and picks Dietlinde up, "How's my little girl doing?" Dietlinde smiled up at Asuka. This last week had been… eventful. When I finally got out of the hospital and came back here, Asuka had cooked an entire meal for us… and it was actually pretty good! Then, after the meal, we both sat at Dietlinde's crib as she fell asleep. Sam and Cass had taken a deeper interest in their baby – they even picked out the names. If it's a boy, the name will be Blaze, and if it's a girl, they're naming it Paige. Cass insisted on both of the names being American, but none of us knew why.

"Well, she just got done beating her mother in a game she's never played before," Asuka glared down at me, "I mean… um… what were we talking about?" I nervously chuckle.

"Good boy…" just as Asuka made her cocky comment; we hear a knocking at our door. As always, I was the one to get it and come to see Cass with a slight blush on… that's a rare sight!

"Shinji… can I talk with you… alone?" he glanced back at Asuka with a nervous look. For some reason, I think it has something to do with her!

"Oh! Don't let me disturb you two!" giving me a sarcastic smile, she walks out of the room… like it matters! I knew she'd be listening through the door!

"Okay, what did you need?" he averts his stare to the floor and blushes a little more… what was up with him?

"You obviously have more experience with this…" he reaches in his pocket and pulls out a small black box, "I was going to ask Sam… to marry me… I'm just not too sure on how to do it…" he opened the box to show a diamond set in plain yellow gold.

"Wow… well congratulations!" I try to act surprised, but in reality, I saw that coming a mile away! "When were you planning on asking her?" he puts away the box and finally looks at me.

"I have no idea, that's why I was asking you, when should I ask?" this was coming from an adult?

"Well… I guess just take her out on a date or something, then pop the question. I'm sure you know of at least ONE fancy restaurant, right?" he smiles nervously and scratches the back of his head, "Cass… you're kidding me, right?"

"You were always the one to drive! How am I supposed to know?" because you're eighteen…

"Ugh… here," I grab a piece of paper and jot down an address, "Go there, they're pretty good," he takes it and immediately shoves it in his pocket, "Oh, and try to calm down a little. I know she'll say yes, so don't worry about it," with a pat on the pat, I open the door only to see Asuka come tumbling into the room, ending with her lying on her back with Dietlinde on her chest.

"Um… I was… yeah…" she smirks a little as Cass walks out of the room. I take Dietlinde from her and help her up, "So, our little Cass is growing up, huh? How cute!" even Dietlinde gave her an odd look!

"Asuka, he's older then us, remember?" she just shrugs.

"Yeah well, he doesn't act like it!" she quickly peeks out into the hallway, "So… I say we follow them to that restaurant and watch it! I gotta see her reaction!" now seriously, who didn't see that coming?

"Sure, if you want, but one problem… I don't know when they'll be going. If I just up and ask him, he'll know something is up," truthfully, I DID want to see how Cass was going to do this!

"Oh, don't you worry about that, I'll make sure he does it tonight…" with a small wink, she left the room, leaving me with a very confused baby.

"I… think mommy's finally lost it…" Dietlinde let out a small giggle, "Yeah, I wouldn't recommend mocking Asuka until you're bigger then her… come to think of it, just don't mock her period!" I walk over to the bathroom and start to undress her, "Until mom comes back, how's a bath sound?" this is about the only thing she ever put up a fight with. For some reason, she just didn't like the water. It's not that she would cry and put up a huge fit; it's just that she wouldn't exactly make it easy for either me or Asuka. When I finally get the bathtub full, I slowly set her in, trying to calm her.

"Mmmmm…" she let out a soft whine as she made contact with the water.

"It's okay Dietlinde, calm down," the entire time I was bathing her she put up a fight, ending with my shirt soaking wet… who needed the bath again? Finally fulfilling her wish, I pick Dietlinde up out of the bathtub and dry her off, "Why do you hate the water so much, huh Dietlinde?" I lightly poke her nose, making her smile. When I'm done dressing Dietlinde, I set her in her crib, "You can really make things difficult Dietlinde… just like your mother I guess!" I quickly change my shirt and sit down on the sofa. I wonder what's taking her so long. It's been damn near half an hour… I think she's doing something Cass might regret… I better go check this out. After grabbing Dietlinde out of her crib, I walk out of the room and knock on Cass and Sam's door. When nobody answered, I slightly opened the door and peeked in, "Hello?"

"Oh, Shinji, come on in," was that Asuka? Jesus, what were they doing in there? When I walk in I see Cass laying on the sofa with Sam on the chair, seemingly asleep… what the hell…?

"What happened here?" Asuka lets out a long sigh before talking.

"Well, Cass decided to propose to Sam right now, and I walked in just as she was fainting… she landed on his knee, and I think it broke… how romantic…" if Cass wasn't going to follow my instructions, then why did he ask?

"Hey, it's not my fault that she fainted!" actually, yes it was! "I only asked her right now because she went to hug me and felt the ring box…" but… wasn't the ring in his pocket…? Where was she feeling!

"Well, I take it that she basically said yes, or she wouldn't have reacted like that," his face immediately lit up and he let out a small smile, "But for now, we have to get your leg treated. I'll go get Rits," for some reason, I had a feeling that leaving Asuka with them was a bad idea… nah, she'll be fine. With Dietlinde still in my arms, I walk down the hallway and into Akagi's office, for once not knocking.

"Oh, hi Shinji," she got up and walked over to me, "Let me guess, you have a problem?" she sarcastically smirked.

"Me? No, but Cass has a broken leg, sorry," Ritsuko began to twiddle her fingers above Dietlinde, lightly playing with her. Dietlinde giggled as she tried to grab them.

"So what happened? Did he fall or something?" she sure was taking this lightly! Well, come to think of it, what she's seen in the last three years would basically make her immune to anything at this point!

"No… he proposed to Sam…" she went wide eyed and stopped playing with Dietlinde.

"And she broke his leg! Damn! That's a harsh no!" I busted out laughing. Just thinking of the scenario was hilarious!

"No, she fainted, I think that could be counted as a yes!" she sighs as we begin to walk out of the room.

"Seriously Shinji, you could have worded that better!" we both laugh a little as we make our way to the nurse's office, "Just let me grab a wheelchair and we can go," within five minutes, we were outside of Cass's room. Without bothering to knock, we walk in to see Sam still out cold and Cass still on the chair with Asuka in the chair next to him.

"Sam's still out, huh?" by now, Cass's knee was pretty swollen.

"Yeah… can you get me treated please? This is really starting to hurt!" you'd think that he would want to stay here until Sam woke up… eh, like it matters, the second she wakes up she'll be all over him!

---

Sam and Cass's Room - 1 Hour Later

I decided to stay here with Sam while Asuka took Dietlinde back to our room. Surprisingly, Sam still hasn't woken up, but Akagi said that she could be out for the rest of the day. Hopefully not though, the fact that the yes or no is still up for grabs is driving Cass crazy, and frankly, it's doing the same thing to me! I mean, I know that she'll say yes, but that's also how I felt with Asuka. Asuka came pretty damn close to saying no at the baby shower; I think what drove her to say yes was seeing me like that. I'm not saying that she regrets it, but I really wouldn't be that surprised if she would have waited a few more years.

"I guess I'm just one lucky bastard…" just as I said that, I saw Sam starting to sit up, "Oh, you're up," she whips her head over to my direction and sighs.

"Don't do that to me Shinji! You scared the hell out of me!" I chuckle a little.

"Sorry about that… so… um… did you want to talk to Cass?" it's damn near a miracle that she's not out of this room already!

"I guess, why? Is he okay?" does she not remember? "Wait…" there it is! "Did he just… propose to me…?"

"Yeah, you fainted and… kinda broke his leg as you fell…" she blushed a little as she stood up, "Want me to take you to him?" without a word, she nods with a small smile. He is so getting a yes! As we were walking, I swear I could hear her heart pounding… I can't restrain myself… "So… what are you going to say?"

"I… don't know…" what! "I really don't know… he might just be doing this because of the baby…" I stop walking and put my arm out in front of her, making her stop along with me.

"Sam… are you listening to yourself talk? You know he loves you! This has nothing to do with the baby!" I'm serious about this! That almost felt like a personal blow to me! I did the same exact thing with Asuka, and it had nothing to do with Dietlinde!

"Then why did he wait this long to propose?" I see a small tear forming in her eye.

"Maybe he wasn't ready! Are you? Are you ready to be a wife?"

"I don't know… I'm only seventeen… I'm not even an adult yet…" technically, she was. True, in America she is still a child, but in Japan, she's an adult.

"Me and Asuka weren't either. We were just barely driving when we got married!" the tear began to run down her face, "Why are you crying?" She lowers her head and lets a few more tears fall.

"Because I don't want to hurt him…" she once again begins to walk, leaving me confused and worried. Without talking, I followed her into the hospital, "Where is his room?" her voice is monotone, yet harsh at the same time.

"Follow me…" when we were right outside his room, I stop her, "Sam, think about what you're doing here…"

"I have…" she walks in and I follow her. When Cass sees her, he goes pale.

"Hi… Sam…" without a word, she walks to his bedside and hugs him tight. With shaking arms, he hugs her back, "Are… you okay?"

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry Cass…" he goes wide eyed and looks over at me. I simply nod my head, and he becomes white as a ghost. This must be hell for him… I remember how bad it felt to think that Asuka said no, but to actually LIVE it…

"Sam…?" she nods her head.

"No… I'm sorry… no…"

A/N- Uh oh… Cass got a no… man that has to suck. Well, he'll hopefully get over it. I mean, Shinji had a gun held to his head by his wife before! Anyway, how do you think he'll react to the reject? Are they still even dating? Find out in the next chapter; A Little Talk, until then, keep on keeping on!


	110. A Little Talk

Chapter 110: A Little Talk

A/N- This chapter was proof-read by Frost-Eva-04, thanks for the help!

Sam and Cass's Room – 11:30 PM That Night

"Sam, why are you doing this? You do love him, right?" I've been talking with her for a good three hours now, and so far, I haven't made any improvements. Shinji is still back in Cass's room, trying to comfort him.

"Of course I do… but I'm just not ready to marry him… why is this such a big deal? Why do I have to have a piece of paper telling us that we love each other? That's all marriage is!" this coming from a girl that was damn near sobbing at my wedding…

"Well… I guess you're right about that, but mentally it's WAY more then that. I can't really describe it… just knowing that you'll be with that person for the rest of your life is… I don't know…" I really couldn't describe it!

"I'm just not ready! I'm not even ready to have this baby!" okay, now she was starting to get on my nerves.

"Well it's not like you have much of a choice at this point. Look, I know what you're going through right now, and it's not easy. Listen, if it helps, we'll be giving birth at nearly the same time, you won't be alone in this," even though it won't be AS bad for me. Yeah, it's still going to hurt like a bitch, but I've already given birth once, things are… 'stretched' for me…

"It's not that I'm worried about… I'm scared of how we're going to raise it… how the hell are we going to afford it?" she really didn't read her contract with NERV did she?

"Don't worry about that, NERV will cover it, all you have to do is be good parents, which I know you will," she smiles a little through all of this.

"Thanks… but I just can't marry him, not yet… I mean, I know I will be later on, but not this early…" there really was no talking her out of this.

"There's nothing any of us can do to convince you?" she simply nods.

"I'm just not ready… let me go talk with him…" she gets up and starts to walk out of the room, "Mind helping me out here?" without a word, I get up and start walking down the hall. I feel so bad for Cass, he wanted this so badly, and now he might not get it at all. When the awkward walk was over and she was walking into his room, she closed the door, cutting me off… like I wasn't going listen in!

"Oh… hi Sam…" was Shinji still in there? "Listen, I'm sorry I asked you, I should have waited until later to do that… please forgive me…" that little sap! Take control!

"Cut the crap Cass," holy shit! "Enough of the self sulking, you asked when you felt you were ready, but you see, I'm not… and the problem is… that I might never be. I'm sorry I'm doing this to you, but I have to tell you what's going on and why I'm doing this. Don't you tell a soul I said this, got it? I'm afraid that our relationship might end up like Asuka and Shinji's. Yes, they're happy with soon to be two kids, but after they got married, they both had one hell of a time. She held a gun to his head, she took Dietlinde from him, and it even got to the point of them almost getting a divorce. Truthfully, I doubt that marriage will last past their twenties, they just weren't ready for it, I'm not ready for it, and I highly doubt you are," she takes a short pause, "Cass, talk."

"Thanks a lot Sam," the door swings open and I stand up normal to see a pissed Shinji… shit… "Come on Asuka," with Dietlinde in his arms, he took my hand and walked away from that room. What the hell just happened?

"Shinji, wait!" I see Sam walk back out of the room with a worried look on her face, "I'm sorry! Come back!" he didn't stop though. His face was… enraged… he didn't even look down at me…

"Shinji…" I tried not to talk at all on the way back to our room, but I couldn't help but mutter his name. When we finally get back to our room – which seemed to take forever – he quickly put an obviously worried Dietlinde back in her crib and stormed back out of the room.

"Watch Dietlinde, I'll be back," his voice seemed normal… but it… I don't know, just something was different. That normal attitude he would have is gone, that normal warmth that I craved. Yes, what Sam said was WAY out of line, but for him to get that mad at another person is rare; hell, it was damn near an impossibility… I couldn't leave him alone; he might do something he'll regret later. After grabbing Dietlinde, I quietly walk out of the room. Now the problem is actually finding him! Maybe he went back to Cass's room… I couldn't think of anything else, so I slowly walk there. I didn't even mean to walk slow, it was more of a subconscious thing; I knew that he'd be so pissed off, and I'd rather not be around to see that! When I finally get outside of Cass's room I immediately her yelling… yep, that's Shinji.

"Who the hell are you to tell us how our relationship is! Behind our backs none the less!" well, technically, he was right there, she just didn't know it! "I'll be the first to admit that our marriage isn't perfect, and I doubt it will ever be, but I'll be damned if you think you can tell us what's wrong with it! Working through the problems is what marriage is about, and if you can't realize that, then you're not ready for it! Me and Asuka have been through hell like you can't even imagine, yet we're still together. I'd die… I HAVE died for her, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Can you honestly say that you would do that for Cass? I know for a fact that he would for you!" holy shit! He was more pissed then I thought!

"Of course I would!" she immediately shot back. I couldn't help it anymore; I slowly opened the door and peeked inside. Shinji was standing up looking down at Sam in the chair. Cass was basically helpless in his bed with a face that was begging for this fight to stop.

"Then prove it…" he reached in his back pocket and pulled out a small gun, "You have two seconds," he pointed it at a now pale Cass. Sam knew exactly what was happening, but she didn't make a move. Her eyes were basically dinner plates, and frankly, so were mine! What the hell was he doing! "One second," she still didn't make a move, "Time's up…" he pulled the trigger and I buried Dietlinde's face in my chest, not wanting her to see this. Sam screamed, forcing me to look up at a frozen Cass and a smoking gun barrel, "Blanks, you couldn't even protect him from blanks," he threw the gun down and stormed out of the room, once again running into me.

"Shinji, don't you think that was a little harsh?" Dietlinde wasn't crying, but I could tell that she was close, "I mean, you just scared this shit out of her!"

"I don't give a fuck! She needs to learn to watch what she says!" he looked back and gave her the look from hell before walking off, this time without me, "And I told you to stay behind," Jesus, what was up with him! I put out my arm and make him stop walking.

"What the fuck is wrong with you! Yeah, what she said was hurtful, but you could have ruined their relationship with that little stunt you just pulled! You had no right to do that!" this wasn't my normal Shinji, he wouldn't act like this… and yet he was…

"And she had no right to judge us like that! I was trying to make a point, and I did. If they can't work through this, then they aren't ready for any kind of relationship! You know that's-" Dietlinde started to cry loudly from all the yelling… either that or she was upset that her parents were fighting, "Ugh… here, let me see her," I hold her a little closer to me.

"No… you're too angry, you'll just make it worse," I know that hurt him like crazy, but it was true. Dietlinde is scared of him when he's angry; true, that is my fault because she saw him shoot a man, but still. He took a small sigh and closed his eyes.

"Asuka… go and put Dietlinde to bed… we need to talk…" oh shit… he's pissed! Wait… why am I worried? I'm his wife, what can he do to me? Plus, I've been in control of this relationship ever since it started!

"Um… okay…" come on Asuka! Straighten up! And yet I still did what he told me to do… damn it! When I get back to our room, I slowly set Dietlinde – who is still crying – back in her crib. After about ten minutes of trying to comfort her, she finally fell asleep. Where is he? It's only a one minute walk from the hospital to here! Simply out of curiosity, I walk out of the room to see him sitting against the wall with his arms resting on his knees; his head hung low, "Shinji?"

"I'm sorry…" okay, I'm lost now. Wasn't this the man that was just firing blanks at one of his best friends not half an hour ago? I cross my arms and glare down at him.

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to, you really hurt Sam back there," he looks up at me with empty eyes.

"And you don't think what she said hurt? It might not be affecting you, but that hurt like hell to me… saying that our marriage won't last past our thirties… I swore to be with you forever, and she knows that…" he once again dropped his head, "Do you think what she said was true?" with a soft sigh and feeling defeated, I take a seat next to him.

"No, but what I do think is that we need to start communicating better. I know that I'm digging myself into a hole right now, but you need to tell me when I'm doing something you don't like…like putting a gun to your head…" he chuckled a little, "Or did you like that…?" I lay my head on his shoulder and try to relax.

"Eh, a little punishment here and there is fine with me…" I lightly slap his chest and smirk.

"Pervert…" he once again chuckles, "But seriously, you need to swallow what little pride you have and apologize, even if you don't think what you did was wrong," jeez, it feels like I'm talking to an infant!

"I'm sorry, but I won't do that, I-" I cut him off before he could finish.

"No sex if you don't," he immediately gets up and stretches his arms above his head.

"Okay, I think I need to go apologize to Sam and Cass…" he really needs to think outside the box! He's not the only one with raging hormones here! I wouldn't last two months after this baby is born before I'm all over him!

"Good boy," but still, its fun to tease! After he walks off, I go back into our room to see Dietlinde once again awake and silently playing with her toy bear. I love this girl so much; she has so much personality even for a seven month old. I eventually find myself next to her crib holding her bear and playing with her. I can't believe that it's only been seven months, so much has happened… hell, what's happened to her alone is enough to drive a grown man insane! I guess it runs in the family…

Soon, I have her in my arms on the chair, gently cradling her to sleep. To think that we made this… me and Shinji made life… two simple cells joined, and the result is this tiny person. As she gets older, I'm able to see some of Shinji's qualities in her. She defiantly has his smile… well… I guess that all she got from him! Seriously, seeing old baby pictures of myself and looking at Dietlinde, we look like twins. I wonder if she'll grow up looking like me… a lot can happen in a few years! She could end up looking like Shinji with breasts for all we know!

"I love you…" I softly stroke her silk soft hair, only sending her deeper into her slumber. She'll have a sister pretty soon too… well, not TOO soon, almost double her life! I wonder how she'll take it. I mean, will she be jealous? How will she treat the baby itself? I guess if we raise her right, she'll treat her younger sibling normally. I can guarantee that she knows something is wrong with me; she's been growingly curious about my stomach enlarging. Four months now, and I damn near look six months pregnant! It's going to get to the point of me being unable to hold her comfortably… of course I'll spend time with her, just not actually holding her as much. Well, the good news is that when the baby finally DOES come, Dietlinde will either be walking or getting pretty close to it… that just hit me like a ton of bricks… she's already becoming independent… jeez Asuka, she's still a baby! She won't be independent until she hits her teen years – that's if she doesn't take after me growing up wise! Hell, I was independent at seven!

She's started to discover language in the last few months, she knows that we communicate through sounds, and she's been using that plenty of times! No, she's still awhile from actually being able to have a conversation, but makes certain sounds when she's hungry, needs to be changed, things like that.

Only a few weeks left until we're in our new home! Hopefully Sam will forgive Shinji so we don't have a constant battle in the house… I'm sure she will… I hope. She is pregnant after all – which she isn't taking too well! Her hormones are basically screwing her up so badly it's like she isn't even Sam anymore… wait… what if that's why she said no? Maybe she wasn't thinking straight… and why the fuck do I care! Damn, I guess mine are taking a toll too… well, even if, I'm not nearly as bad as her!

A few minutes later, I find myself slowly dozing off with Dietlinde still in my arms. It is getting pretty late… Shinji will wake me up when he gets back, I'll just fall asleep until then… that sounds good…

A/N- Man… I had no idea any of that was going to happen! This chapter was SUPPOSED to have Sam and Cass having a heart filled conversation, ending with her saying yes… I guess I kinda got off track, huh? Well, anyway, yet another deep thought scene with Asuka. I seem to do better with her then with Shinji when it comes to emotional scenes, course Shinji is better for action! Well, not much to say about the next chapter, but the title kinda gives it away. So, read the next chapter; Family Time, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	111. Family Time

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Chapter 111: Family Time

A/N- This chapter was proof read by Frost-Eva-04. Thanks for the help!

A/A/N- Speaking of proof reading… I'm looking for someone to proof read what Frost hasn't… I'm not going to lie, it's a lot. From chapter one to chapter sixty-eight. That's a little under 200 pages, so yeah, it's a big job. I need someone that will do it and not drop out half way. I will – of course – give you credit in each of those chapters just as I do for Frost. If you want to do it, e-mail me with your profile URL and the request. Thanks to any of you that are willing to help me out!

Shinji/Asuka's Room – Same Night

After basically biting the bullet so to speak and apologizing, I felt as if I had lost. She accepted my apology and Cass had no hard feelings, but that wasn't the point; the point was that they weren't ready for marriage. I'm not by any means saying that I'm the perfect husband, but I think I do an okay job with it… I think… when I finally got back to our room, I noticed just how long I was gone. Crap… she's probably asleep by now. When I opened that door, I found that to be true, but with a much more heartwarming sight.

"My two girls…" I grab a blanket and gently cover the two up, taking care not to cover Dietlinde's head. After pecking both on the forehead, I change into some night clothes and crawl into bed. This is the first time sleeping alone in this bed for God only knows how long… I like it better with Asuka!

As always, when I'm feeling guilty, I find myself staring into the blackness thinking about whatever the hell I did. Now that I've calmed down a bit, I realize that what I did could possibly destroy their relationship all together, not just the marriage. Cass was going through hell, and I didn't exactly help him with it. I have to do something to make up for it… but what? What if I took them and helped to pick out some baby supplies? That might work… of course nothing big, she still needs a baby shower, all of the big items people will get for her. I guess that could work… now I just gotta get them out of NERV… what am I talking about? They'll jump in when they find out I'll be paying for them!

Just as I'm falling asleep, I feel another person climbing in bed next to me… why, hello Asuka! I feel a dead weight being put on my chest that – after setting my hand on it – turns out to be a sleeping Dietlinde. After a few seconds of positioning, Asuka makes her way onto my right side with her leg swung around me, and her arm around both me and Dietlinde… I like this!

"I love you Shinji…" she buries her face a little deeper into the crook of my neck.

"I love you too Asuka…"

---

Morning – 8:00 AM

"Mmmmm…" I wake up to the slight sound of Dietlinde whining. She wasn't on my chest anymore, and when I open my eyes, I see her on Asuka's looking down at her with a worried face.

"Come here Dietlinde, let mommy sleep," I slowly crawl out of bed with her in my arms, all the whilst yawning and rubbing my eyes. I slept great last night! Two of the most important people in my life sleeping with me… that was great, "Are you hungry?" I grab a can of baby food and she reaches out for it, "Take that as a yes…" I set her down in her high chair and quietly began to feed her, "Don't you worry, me and mom will stay together, no matter what."

"Shhhh… I'm trying to sleep…"Asuka rolls on her side as she whispered.

"Sorry," I finish feeding Dietlinde and pick her up, holding her in one arm. I might as well make some breakfast, right? I'm not too hungry, but I'm sure Asuka is… okay, I KNOW Asuka is! Within a few minutes I had eggs and bacon on the stove, almost fully cooked. Dietlinde had been watching me the entire time as if she was learning what I was doing – even though it's just curiosity. When I was almost done and turning off the stove, I feel two arms wrap around my waist and a head rest on my shoulder.

"Shinji… what took you so long last night…? I tried to wait up…" Dietlinde's face instantly lit up when she saw her mother.

"Sorry about that, it took longer then I thought it would," she took a short pause before responding.

"I had a dream last night…" I saw a small tear start to roll down her face, "We broke up and you left with Dietlinde… you left me alone…" I turn around and try to hug her without smothering Dietlinde, "I know this is childish… but I really can't have you leave again…" I lean back and look down at her with a smile.

"You know I wouldn't do that to you. It was just a dream, nothing more, I promise," I peck her on the lips and she smiles.

"I really hate it when I get like this… sorry…" probably just the pregnancy taking effect again.

"Forget about it, it's not your fault. So, I was thinking, did you want to go to the lake? I thought that maybe we could take Dietlinde and give her some fresh air," Asuka wipes away a tear and gives me a weird look.

"But you know she hates water, what would be the point of going to the lake?"

"Well, I was kinda hoping to break her of that. I mean, if we're both there, she might feel safe," or we could traumatize her shitless… nah, if she's not like that now, she's not going to be!

"Maybe… might as well try it. If she doesn't want to we can still just lay back on the shoreline… I'm not wearing a bikini though! I'm going in shorts and a t-shirt!" she acts like she's some fat monster!

"Well, I like your looks no matter what, and since we're going to be the only ones there, you might as well be comfortable," she plants her hands on her hips and smirks at me.

"Can you honestly say that you find me attractive when I'm pregnant?" I go back to making her breakfast and start to put it on a plate.

"If anything it attracts me to you more. You're carrying our child!"

"Sexually I mean," she really loves to test me, doesn't she?

"Still, the answer is yes. I love you for you, not how you look," she raised an eyebrow and smirked, "Okay, yes, I'd rather have you with a flat stomach, is that what you wanted?" she chuckled as she finally got the truth out of me, "But…" I leaned over and whispered in her ear, "I still think you're sexy," she instantly turned red as I went back to preparing her food, "Okay, food's done!"

"Thanks… really…" now smiling, she took the plate and sat down at the table, "Um… you're not eating? And what about Dietlinde?" with her still in my arms, I sit next to Asuka.

"I already fed Dietlinde, and I'm not too hungry myself. Just eat up and we can go to the lake," she takes the first bite and once again smiles at me after looking up at me holding Dietlinde.

"You know what I just noticed? You've really bonded with Dietlinde the last few days. I've barely gotten to hold her lately – not that I'm complaining of course, I just think it's cute. You two are really becoming close!" just then, Dietlinde looked up at me with a wide smile.

"Yeah… I guess we have… thanks…" I hold her a little closer and smile down at her myself, "I'm glad that we've gotten this time too, after the new baby comes, we won't have as much time together alone," as Dietlinde continues to smile up at me, I realize what I just said. How much time will be deprived from Dietlinde exactly? Hopefully not too much, but I know some will. A newborn baby isn't exactly a non-time consuming thing. Dietlinde will only be about a year old when the new baby is born, she still doesn't understand the concept of having a sibling, and therefore she will most likely become jealous.

"Don't worry about that, I'm sure we'll find a way to make them both comfortable. But for now," she gets up and stretches her arms above her head, "Let's focus on Dietlinde," how did she finish eating so fast!

"Yeah, you're right. I'll go pack her diaper bag while you get ready, okay?" she walks over to the closet and grabs her bikini, winking at me as she walked into the bathroom, "Damn I love that woman…" I mutter under my breath. Just then, Dietlinde began to giggle… crap, "I mean… um… don't tell mommy I said that, okay?" personally laughing at myself, I walk over to the closet and grab her diaper bag, "Man, I can't wait until you're potty trained… you ready for it yet?" just then, the distinct smell of… yeah… entered the room.

"Mmm…" she looked down and began to whine.

"Take that as a no…"

---

Half An Hour Later

"I'm telling you, you look fine!" we were just getting into the car and she – of course – was worried about how she looked.

"Yeah, to you, but if another person is there then we're leaving!" that's what sucks, I can't guarantee that! "Whatever, let's just get going," as I pull out of the parking lot, I realize that Sam and Cass might feel left out… I really need to start thinking about myself before others! This is supposed to be time alone with my family, not friends.

"I hope we can get Dietlinde over her fear of water," Asuka lets out a long sigh.

"Yeah… remember when she actually liked the water? I wonder what happened…" with Dietlinde in her arms, she began to softly stroke her hair.

"A lot can change when a baby is growing, maybe she just developed that," it sure was a hell of a lot easier when she wasn't afraid of it!

"Maybe…" an awkward silence enveloped the car soon after that. I didn't tell Asuka this, but I have to drive past YY's place to get to the lake. Hopefully no one recognizes me there… when that time finally came to pass Rei's old house, we – of course – hit a red light, "Did you have to drive past here?"

"Sorry, it's the only way there," crap! I nervously look around, trying to see if anyone was around that could recognize me. Just as the light turns green, I see a familiar looking man sitting against a house… I know I've seen him before.

"Shinji, the light's green, go," I get out of the car and turn back to Asuka.

"Listen, stay here for a second, I'll be right back," her eyes went wide.

"Are you kidding me! You aren't going to… you son of a bitch!" I try to ignore her as I walk to the man. When I stopped in front of him, he looked up… I know him…

"Shinji?" a hoarse, monotone voice came from his mouth.

"Toji… what happened to you? I haven't seen you since my wedding!" what's happened to him? His clothes were rags, and it looks like he hasn't taken a shower in months. The bloodshot eyes didn't exactly help his appearance either.

"Yeah, I kinda… went through some stuff…" he once again lowered his head, "Sorry about running off like that…"

"Don't worry about it… how have you been?" he lets out a small chuckle.

"Oh man, I can't even describe it… I got kicked out of my folk's house, I dropped out of school… my life's been a living hell… but listen, forget about me, what's been going on with you?" what's happened to him?

"Um… well, we're having another baby, Asuka's four months pregnant. Sam and Cass are having a baby too… are… you okay? I mean, if you don't have a place to live, I can work something out with NERV to get you a room if you want," he stumbles to his feet to meet me at eye level.

"Thanks… but don't bother… congrats on the new baby though… listen, forget about me, go spend time with your family…" I take out a pen from my back pocket and take his hand, jotting down the address of NERV on it.

"Listen to me, if you need anything – food, water, a place to sleep – go there and ask for me, I'll do whatever you need. You're a good friend Toji, I don't want to see you like this. Please take me up on my offer…" he gave me a weak smile, "See ya," with nothing else said, I walk back to the car, and a wide eyed Asuka.

"Was that… Toji?" I drive off, leaving Toji staring at his hand.

"Yeah… I think he's addicted to something… I told him to go to NERV and get some help, but I doubt we'll see him again…" I really hope he does show up though, "Forget about it, we're out here for fun, not to worry about him."

"Yeah… you're right…" I reach over and wrap my arm around Asuka.

"So, how'd you sleep last night?" I give her a warm smile and she smiles back.

"Pretty good, thanks. I had a dream about the baby… well… babies… I dreamt that I had twins," I'm sure my eyes were as wide as dinner plates right then! "Oh, don't worry about it, that won't happen!" I sure as hell hope not! It's weird enough being seventeen with two kids let alone three!  
"Well… did either one take after me this time?" she chuckled and nodded.

"Yeah, both of them actually, one was a boy and one was a girl. The girl had red hair, but it looked exactly like you. The boy was basically exactly like you! I hope the baby does take after you this time, I don't want another clone of myself!" she pecked Dietlinde's forehead and smiled down at her.

"Eh, I'd be okay with it," really, I would be. I don't care about stuff like that, as long as they're my children, I'm fine, "Anyway, how was Dietlinde in the dream?" she shrugged and looked down at her.

"I don't know, for some reason she wasn't in it. The dream was only a few minutes long, so she was probably with Akagi or something," that was kinda… disturbing that she wasn't in it. She's probably right though.

"Hm… weird… well, hopefully it was only a dream!" she chuckles.

"Yeah, I'm not about to give birth twice in one sitting!" we have a good laugh as I drive through the grass and up to the lake.

"Okay, we're here," I grab the diaper bag and crawl out of the car along with Asuka, "Do you want to take Dietlinde into the water now or later?" we sat down under a large tree and stared out at the lake.

"Let's wait a little, I just want to relax for a bit," she lays back with Dietlinde resting on her stomach, "Here, why don't you take her, I'm not too comfortable to lay on anymore!" smirking, I lift up our child from her stomach.

"Come here baby, I'll hold ya," next to Asuka, I lay down with Dietlinde on my chest. Dietlinde smiled as she stared up at me, and her eyes slowly closed.

"How cute is she? She really loves you Shinji," I couldn't help but smile.

"Yeah, I know… you too though. If anything, she's closer to you then me," I was fine with that though. Mother's are always closer to the children then the fathers are, they have that special bond that fathers just can't create.

"No, I think she sees us both as equals. Like it matters anyway, were both her parents, she'll grow up with both of us, so she'll always love both of us, same with the new baby," Asuka can be pretty deep sometimes!

"You've really changed, you know that? Don't get mad, but you used to be…" I'm trying to search for a word that wouldn't piss her off, and failing miserably.

"Bitchy?" yeah, that's the word!

"A little harsh, but yeah. I mean, not even three years ago you would tear my head off for the littlest things, and now… you're perfect," she smirks at me and leans her head back, closing her eyes and relaxing.

"You just insulted me and complemented me in the same sentence… good job! But yeah, you're right. You've changed too though, you used to be the biggest wimp on the face of the earth. Now you're actually a man," of course she had to return the favor!

"Thanks… I think…" from that point on, we both relaxed under the tree, simply enjoying the fact that our whole family is here. About ten minutes later though, she gets up and looks down at me.

"So, you wanna try putting Dietlinde in the water now?" I get up, waking up Dietlinde in the process, and we begin to walk towards the shoreline.

"Sure, but we can't push her. If she starts to freak out, we have to take her out or it'll just get worse," we both look down at a confused Dietlinde and smile.

"I know, don't worry," we kneel at the shoreline and when she sees the water she tenses up.

"It's okay Dietlinde, we're here," we once again get up and walk into the water until we were both at lower chest level, "Well, she seems okay so far," water still hasn't touched her, but she knows we're in it.

"Go ahead and lower her into the water," doing as I was told, I slowly – VERY slowly – put Dietlinde in the water. She looked worried, but she didn't struggle or try and get away. When the water gets up to her chest, I stop and let her look around.

"Hm… she seems to be okay to me," I mean, if anything she's nervous because she's never been here before, not from the water, "How about we go back to the shore and let her play a little?" she might be okay now…

"Sure, might as well," to Dietlinde's delight, we began to walk back towards the shore. When we got to very shallow water, I sit her down in the water – which was up to her stomach – and gently support her. She rose up her arms towards me, asking me to pick her up again.

"I don't think she likes it… maybe we should take her out," of course Asuka wanted to rescue her!

"No, let her try and deal with it. Like you've said before, we have to stand back every now and then," I smile over at Asuka and she glares at me… shit! "No! I wasn't trying to ridicule you! I was just… ugh… sorry…" she stands up and walks back to the tree, laying down when she gets there… crap… I pick up Dietlinde and follow her. With her in my arms, I sit next to Asuka, "Asuka, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that."

"Whatever…" she rolls onto her side and closes her eyes.

"Come on, you know I wouldn't attack you like that," she still didn't say anything, "Asuka, I-"

"Just shut up…" maybe now wasn't the best time to talk about this… with Dietlinde on my chest, I lay back next to Asuka and TRY to relax. Eventually, I fall asleep with a sinking stomach.

---

Same Place – 10:00 AM

"Shinji! Shinji, wake up! I said wake up damnit!" I feel a strong pushing at my side and a loud yelling, obviously pulling me out of my sleep. When I open my eyes I see Asuka hovering over me with tears in her eyes, "Dietlinde's gone! I can't find her!" I leap up and meet Asuka t eye level, "You fell asleep! What the fuck is your problem!"

"I-I didn't… we have to find her!" I frantically look around, seeing nothing but plain grass and the lake.

"I already looked! We have to go back to NERV and put out a search!" she jets off to the car and I run after her, "How could you do that!" the car revs to life and I speed off.

"Now's REALLY not the time to argue this Asuka! I screwed up, okay? Is that what you wanted to hear? Well I said it, is Dietlinde back?" I see her clench her fist in either anger or just trying to relieve stress.

"Just shut up! I swear to God Shinji… if she's…" I look over to see her tears starting to run heavier. Please be okay…

A/N- This went from a heart warming family moment, to a mini get-away, to Dietlinde once again coming up missing. That baby will be the death of Asuka and Shinji, won't she? Anyway, not much to say here aside from; read the next chapter; Toji's Past, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	112. Toji's Past

Chapter 112: Toji's Past

A/N- Once again, proof-read by Frost-Eva-04. Thanks again!

Outside Of NERV – 10:30 AM

"It took you long enough to get here! Hurry up!" before the car even stopped Asuka was out and running towards the entrance of NERV. I ran right after her as fast as I could, but she left me in the dust… how is it that a four month pregnant woman is out running me?

"Asuka! Wait up!" finally – at Akagi's office door – I catch up to her. she ran in without knocking and I followed in after her.

"Ritsuko, we can't fi-… how the hell?" we both freeze at the sight of Akagi holding Dietlinde… what the fuck?

"Okay, I know what you're thinking, and before you flood me with questions, I'll answer them. Apparently, Shinji told Toji to come to NERV if he ever needed help, and on his way here he ran across Dietlinde, who was crawling out of the forest leading to the lake… I take it you two were there?" we both nod weakly, "What the fuck were you two doing that was so important that you forgot about your own child!" her blank face was replaced with one of fury… I guess we deserved that…

"We… fell asleep… I guess she got up and left…" I didn't even know that Dietlinde COULD crawl that far! You'd think that she would get tired after awhile… apparently not… Asuka hurried over and took Dietlinde from Akagi's arms, hugging her tight. She seemed okay aside form being confused as hell… wait… Toji came?

"Ritsuko? Toji came here? Where is he?" both women looked at me with 'the look' every guy dreads.

"You just lost your daughter and all you can think about is where your drug addicted friend is? You're sick!" Asuka was the first to make a comment…

"You really should think before you talk Shinji…" and there was Akagi…

"Sorry… I just wanted to thank him for bringing her back, she could have been killed if she went into the street," they both lose the glare and Akagi sits back down in her chair.

"He's in the hospital; he wasn't exactly in perfect health when he came to us. If you want to go see him, he's in room 202… careful though… he's going through withdrawal… what happened to him Shinji?" how am I supposed to know?

"I don't know… I think after he found out Hikari died he kinda lost it… I'm going to see him…" with one last look at Asuka, I walk out of the room. a few seconds later, I hear the door open after me to show Asuka following me, "You don't have to come you know," she looked up at me with still teary eyes.

"He may be a moron, but he's a friend, he needs help through this," did Asuka just call Toji a friend? Damn… that's new!

"Yeah… listen, sorry about before, you know I didn't mean it like that," she shook her head.

"Forget about it; that just brought back a few memories… I just freaked out…" I wrap my arm around her and smile.

"Well, let's forget that I said that, okay? As you used to say, 'guys are idiots'," she chuckled and slightly nodded… hey! "Anyway, I hope Toji is willing to talk with us about what he's gone through," he's got me curious as hell!

"Yeah… he might not right now though… you think he's doing okay?" well, all I know about withdrawal is what I've seen on TV, and even then they don't show too much.

"I have no idea…" just then we stop outside of his door. Without a word, I sigh and slowly open the door to see him on the bed sleeping, hooked up to tubes and wires, "Damn…" his head shot up and turned towards us, making both of us jump out of our skin.

"Shit Shinji… don't do that…" he head plopped back down onto the pillow, "What happened to you guys? I just found Dietlinde leaving some forest on my way here," honestly, how irresponsible could we be? If Toji hadn't been there… I can't even think about it…

"We… kinda fell asleep at the lake and she crawled off…" even our excuse is stupid! We both walk over and take a seat next to his bed, "Thanks for finding her…" he smiles and waved his hand in the air.

"Don't worry about it, really. Always gotta help an Ikari, right?" he gave a weak smile and looked at Dietlinde, "She's really grown since I last saw her… the only reason I knew she was yours was because a red head in Japan isn't exactly the most common thing… that and she looks exactly like you, Asuka," damn, Toji's become a real emotional this past year.

"Thanks… really…" Asuka smiled down at Dietlinde in her arms and Dietlinde smiled right back.

"I thought Shinji was kidding, but you really are pregnant again! Shinji, have you ever heard of protection? Or was this one planned?" I chuckled, but not for that comment. He was right to some extent, out of all the times we've had sex I've only worn a condom once.

"No… it was after the wedding… and… yeah…" Asuka blushed and smiled nervously, "I mean, we DID do it like, four times…" now she was smirking!  
"Okay! Too much information! I'd rather not talk about my friends having sex, thank you!" me and Asuka chuckle while Toji damn near gags, "Seriously though, congratulations on the new baby. How's the marriage been going?" weren't we supposed to be the ones asking him questions?

"Great, thanks. We had some… trouble early on," she calls our baby being killed, us invading SEELE, and her getting shot a SOME trouble?

"Oh yeah? Well, I'm glad you two worked through it, you always do…" an awkward silence fell over the room that even made Dietlinde uncomfortable.

"Toji… what happened to you?" finally, I get the words out. I leaned his head back and closed his eyes, "You don't have to tell us if you don't want to…" I may have just pressed the wrong button on him…

"No, you deserve to know… after I ran off; I went back home to and empty house, what's new? I needed someone… but no one was there… that was the first time in my life that I actually cried and couldn't stop… when my parents finally DID come home at twelve that night, I asked for help. I said that I needed to talk with someone – anyone – and do you know what both of them said to me? 'Not now, we're tired.' They saw that I was hurting, and yet they still went to bed, leaving me in my room crying to myself…" I see a tear roll down his face and he takes a short break, "H-Hikari… I was going to propose to her… I loved her…"

"She loved you too…" without looking up from Dietlinde, Asuka spoke, "She would constantly talk about you…" Toji shot his head up and looked at Asuka with wide eyes, "She really liked you Toji… neither of you ever made a move though…" a few seconds later, he lets his head fall back down onto the pillow.

"Anyway… that night, I ran away," looks like he doesn't want to talk about Hikari, "I WAS going to the lake… I was planning on killing myself… on my way there, I ran across this one guy… long story short, I ended up addicted to meth… when my parents found out, they kicked me out of the house and I ended up living on the streets… I was like that for a good four months before you came along… I only came here for food, but Rits recognized me and landed me in here…" man… his life really got fucked up…

"Are you going through withdrawal?" he once again sighed at my question.

"Truthfully… I had a hit before I came… so not yet… I'd say in about an hour though I will…" that has GOT to suck, "Listen guys… I just want to be alone… go spend time with Dietlinde, she needs it more then I do…" we both stand up and I put my hand on his shoulder.

"If you need anything, I don't care what time it is, just ask one of the nurses to call me, okay?" he smiles weakly and nods. With nothing more, Asuka and I left his room with heads hung low and hearts pounding.

"I'm worried about him… he's obviously depressed…" well I don't blame him!

"Yeah… I think that we should just leave him alone for awhile, he needs to look at himself for a little bit," I wrap my arm around Asuka after I finish talking.

"Yeah, I guess… we should also follow his advice and spend some time with Dietlinde… no lake though, okay?" I smirk a little. How she can turn something like THAT into something funny is way beyond me.

"Got ya… so… what? Do you just want to stay in the room or something?" just as we reach our door, we see Sam storming down the hallway. The look on her face was… odd… it was angry; there was no doubt about that, but something else. It looked like she was hurt… before either of us could stop her, she slams her door shut, leaving us in the hallway.

"Um… what just happened here?" I let out a long sigh and let go of Asuka.

"Probably something between her and Cass I'm sure… you get Sam and I'll get Cass… see you later…" I walk away as I speak to Asuka. What the hell is going on between those two now? Let me guess, she said yes then CASS said no? Probably something stupid like that… when I finally get to Cass's room, I see him blankly staring at the ceiling, "Hey Cass, are you okay?" might as well skip right to the subject, right? He didn't respond, he just closed his eyes and rolled onto his side, "Um… Cass? You okay?"

"Just leave…" well, at least it was a response!

"What's wrong?" that tone in his voice… I've never heard it before…

"I said leave…" showing my stubbornness, I take the seat next to him, "Shinji… are you deaf or just stupid? Leave…" ouch… that one hurt! Come to think of it, Asuka said those exact same words to me once when we were younger.

"Not until you tell me what's wrong. Did something happen with Sam?" I saw him cringe a little, "Did you two have a fight? What?" he clenched the sheets and stiffened up his body… maybe I should leave…

"She… broke up with me…" I saw a small tear run down his face…

A/N- Yeah, short as hell chapter, but I couldn't really go any further… that and I wanted to create some suspense! So… if you're wondering how Cass is doing… to bad! It'll be Asuka first person next chapter, so she'll obviously be speaking with Sam. Why did she break it off right when she's having a baby? Will they get back together? Find out in the next chapter; Explain Yourself, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	113. Explain Yourself

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

A/N- This is to one of my reviewers – LISTEN. Do you see 'humor' anywhere in the summary? 'More funny less drama'… um… this story IS drama! This isn't meant to be humor, I may throw in a few funny moments in here and there, but I don't make it a point to. So please, shut up.

A/A/N- This chapter was proof-read by Frost-Eva-04. Thanks for the help!

A/A/A/N- This is the last one, I swear! Okay, you know how I said that there wouldn't be a 400 page marker… um… 400 pages! Yeah, this chapter broke 400 pages… but I'd give this story about 10 more chapters until it's done, so I can guarantee that there won't be 500 pages.

Chapter 113: Explain Yourself

Sam/Cass's Room – Same Time

"Hey Sam, you look upset, what's wrong?" She threw herself down on the bed and planted her hands on her face… that didn't look too good. I sit down on the sofa with Dietlinde and look at Sam.

"Not now Asuka… just give me a few minutes alone…" okay, she was obviously hurting, I've never heard her like this.

"I'll leave if you tell me what happened. Did you and Cass have a fight?" she weakly nods, "Are you okay?" this time, she didn't even respond, "Sam, you need to talk with him about this, your relationship with him is starting to fall apart," I doubt that they will break up, but still.

"It already did… I… broke up with him…" I've been wrong before…

"What! Why the hell did you do that!" she cringes at my yelling, "Sam, it's not even a break up at this point! You're carrying his child!" how could she do that? WHY would she do that?

"I know that… but I realized something last night… all I do for him is cause problems… if we're not together, then that won't happen anymore…" I get up and grab her wrist, dragging her out of the room, "Let go of me!"

"Like hell I will! You're going to talk with him and work this out! Listen Sam, I went through this exact same thing, but I didn't go and break up with Shinji! And if you don't start moving your feet I swear I'll pick you up and carry you!" even though I already had Dietlinde in my other arm, I'm sure I could manage it! She couldn't weigh more then eighty pounds!

"Asuka, let me go!" she rips away from my grip and somehow glares at me, "This is my business, not yours! I can do whatever the fuck I want!" holy shit… like hell she's going to talk to me like that!

"Sam, you're forgetting something, you're not just breaking up with him! You're taking a father away from a child that hasn't done a single thing wrong! Sam, your choices just don't effect you anymore!" she lowers her head and a tear forms in her eye.

"I know… but… just forget it…" she turns around and walks back to her room. I follow her, but she closes – and locks – the door before I could get in… damn it. I slam my fist on the door and yell.

"Sam! Let me in!" she didn't even make a sound. Dietlinde began to whine from all the yelling, so I gave up, "It's okay sweetie, mommy's just a little… upset…" I walk down the hall and into the hospital – I'm obviously not doing anything to help here. By the time I got to Cass's room, Dietlinde had calmed down. When I walk I see Cass staring at the ceiling with tears on his face and Shinji on the chair.

"Oh… hey Asuka… do you know?" I slowly nod, "What was Sam thinking?" how the hell am I supposed to know?

"I don't know… how are you doing Cass?" he closes his eyes and lets a tear fall.

"Can you… take me to her?" he let out a monotone response. Yeah, come to think of it, why hasn't he left the hospital? It's only a broken leg!

"Yeah… let me go grab a wheel chair…" of course there wasn't one in the room – no, that would be too easy – Shinji had to leave me in this awkward room! Damn it! Let me come with you!

"How are you doing Cass?" I take the seat that Shinji was in and look over at his depressed face.

"She just broke up with me… no explanation… no reason… nothing…" he must be going through hell right now. Sam better at least give him a reason for dumping him like that!

"Don't worry Cass, I think she's just starting to get overwhelmed with everything that's been happening. I'm sure that was just a spur of the moment thing…" I hope I'm right… if not for them, for the baby…

"I don't know…" just then, Shinji walks back into the room with a wheelchair. About damn time! Without a word – mostly because none of us even wanted to talk – Shinji rolls the chair to his bedside and he climbs in, "I'd rather go by myself… thanks…" he rolled himself out of the room, leaving us in the dense, awkward air.

"I wonder what's going on in her head right now… I really doubt she's thinking clearly right now," about time he said something!

"She isn't, I can tell you that. She couldn't even give me a reason for why she left him. Truthfully, I thought about leaving you when I first got pregnant because it was too overwhelming. Trust me on this one, she'll come to her senses eventually and turn out fine," I look down at Dietlinde to see her silently asleep… I wish I was her right now! How she got asleep with all of this going on I'll never know… well, I guess she could have fallen asleep during the painfully awkward silence between me and Cass… eh, like it matters.

"I hope you're right… wait… you thought about leaving me! When were you going to tell me about that!" just by the look on his face a let out a small laugh, "Oh yeah, real funny Asuka!"

"Oh quit it, we're married, remember? I obviously got over it!" I never get sick of hearing that we're married!

"I guess… but still… anything else you'd like to tell me?" we start to walk out of the room and towards ours.

"Um… let me think for a sec…" I take a short pause, gathering my thoughts, "Well, for one, I used to be a lesbian…" he tripped over his feet and landed flat on his face. With a pale face he looked back up at me and I busted out laughing, "Oh come on, lighten up! We got together when we were fourteen! You know that's not true!" man he's too easy! He crawls to his feet and takes a deep breath.

"That was just wrong Asuka…" oh crap… he has that look… "But, you know, if you wanna keep that… say… in bed, I'd be fine," I slap his shoulder and he finally laughs.

"You're such a little perv, and don't even hold your breath on that," did I just call HIM little? He's a good half foot taller then me!

"Hey, it was worth a try right?" actually, no! "Anyway, I've been meaning to talk with you about something…" he opened the door to our room – which was surprisingly quiet, seeing as we're next to Sam and Cass – and let us in. I set Dietlinde carefully in her crib and sit on the sofa, next to Shinji.

"Yeah? What about?" I lay my head on his shoulder and get comfortable. He wraps his arm around me and pulls me a little closer… I loved being with him like this…

"Well, you know how we never really had a honeymoon?" I smile at the memory of our fake honeymoon.

"I would call what we had a honeymoon… I mean, we DID conceive the new baby…" hell, most newly weds mainly have sex on the honeymoon anyway! It's SUPPOSED to be the first time a couple has sex but… we kinda missed out on that!

"Yeah, but we didn't get to really go anywhere. I was thinking about going on a real honeymoon sometime, something we can actually look back on as more then just sex… even though that is nice!" is he in the mood or something? He keeps on making these jokes!

"Yeah, I guess… but where would we even go? And when?" I decided against making a remark at his comment.

"Well, as for where, that we would have to talk about and when… I was thinking our first anniversary, but that's too close to when the baby is being born. So then I thought about going on your birthday… how's that sound?" talk about an anniversary present!

"Yeah, that seems okay, but pretty far away… I guess we don't have a choice though. So yeah, that sounds pretty nice. Now we gotta figure out where…" we both take a few seconds before saying anything.

"How about America? There's plenty of things to see there. Sam speaks pretty highly of it too," though we've already been there, we were only in one city. That was great though, so I can't imagine what the rest of America is like!

"You probably just want to go there because you lost your virginity there…" I'm sure he's blushing like hell right now!

"Hey, so did yo… sorry…" did he have to bring that up?

"Don't worry about it, I see it as my first time anyway," I wonder what it would be like to lose it to him… I'm sure he'd be afraid to hurt me… I would like to know what it would be like to actually lose it to someone I loved… a little late for that.

"Good, I'm glad you do. What happened to you at the party… it was just… it scared the hell out of me. And if I was going through that, I can't even imagine what you were going through…" I position myself so I was looking into his worried eyes, almost to the point of tearing.

"You don't even know the whole story of what happened, do you?" have I even told anybody? I guess not… that can't be healthy…

"Well, aside from him giving you a drink, no. I left to go grab some drinks for us, and when I came back, you were gone," wait… he got drinks for both of us? Well don't I feel like shit!

"Yeah… sorry for talking to you like that when you tried to get me something. How you were attracted to me before I still don't understand," he smiles and pecks me on the lips.

"Me neither, but I was… I wonder what's going on in there…" he looks in the direction of Sam and Cass's room, "Are they even talking?

"Doesn't sound like it… I think we should leave them alone for a li-" we hear the door slam shut, sending a loud echoing vibration through our room, "Yep, they WERE talking…" thank God Dietlinde didn't wake up!

"Yeah… I still think we should leave them alone though; they need to work this out by themselves… you wanna go out and do something? It's going to get boring staying here all day…" I sit up on my own and put both of my hands behind my head.

"I guess… but what? We kinda already had a bad experience at the lake, so I don't wanna do anything outside… and there's not much to do with a baby…" he copies my action and we both end up looking at the ceiling thinking.

"You hungry? You didn't eat much for breakfast," oh yeah, real exciting.

"I guess… you?" we really are turning into the typical husband and wife! Damn it! I never wanted to end up like that!  
"Yeah, sure… how about we go out to eat? We can take Dietlinde as long as it's not a high quality restaurant. I know of a good breakfast place a little up north, how's that sound?" actually, that sounded pretty good.

"Sure, I'd like that. Dietlinde hasn't really gone anywhere public, so we better get her used to that. Just let me take a shower and we can go… I think you need one too…" I only sat up because his BO was killing me!

"Yeah, sure, I'll go in after you," with a quick peck on the lips, I get up and walk into the bathroom. I go through the normal things, de robe and turn on the shower. When I get in the shower, I find my mind wandering to other topics aside from my family.

What's going to become of Sam and Cass? Sure, I talk all high and mighty, telling everyone that she's just freaking out, but what if I'm wrong? That's what I went through personally, but what if her feelings don't fade? What if they actually get worse? I pray that the baby doesn't have to go through having split parents… the baby… my heart sinks at a sudden thought. What if she gets an abortion? Would she do that…? That would kill Cass… he wants this child so much… she couldn't do that… could she? I need to stop thinking so deep, this isn't my problem, it's theirs. I finish up in the shower and step out, throwing on my robe.

"Okay, you're up," I walk out and leave the door open. Shinji walks past me and the shower once again turns on, "You're welcome…" jeez, that was rude! He didn't even say anything!

I brush off what happened and take off my robe, beginning to get dressed. Just as I get my bra on, I once again hear the door slamming… someone came back! Might as well go check it out… as much as I don't want to… I finish getting dressed and walk out of the room to see an empty hallway… is that a good thing?

"If you would just explain yourself we could work this out! Why won't you tell me? Did I do something wrong? Was I hurting you somehow? What?" yeah, Cass was pissed! I put my ear up against the door – being nosy as always – and listen into the conversation… well, yelling contest.

"I'm leaving because I'm scared!" leaving? She already left him! "Ever since I came here my life has gone downhill! The only upside that I've ever had was meeting you, and even that has turned into hell! I'm pregnant Cass, do you understand that? I'm only seventeen!" I think he realizes that she's pregnant… he was the one to do it!

"Of course I do! So what if you're seventeen? Shinji and Asuka had theirs at sixteen, and look at them now! I've never seen a couple so happy! Sorry Sam, you'll have to do better then that," well at least one person thinks highly of our relationship!

"Cass… I'm sorry…" they both keep quiet for a second, and I hear the release of a kiss, "I love you…" the door slowly opens and she walks down the hall with a suitcase in her hands… oh shit! I start to chase after her, but Cass grabs my wrist.

"Let her go… just let her go…" his eyes were full of tears, and his face was pale… well, looks like we're not going anywhere.

"But Cass-" he cuts me off with a raspy voice.

"She has to work some things out on her own, she'll be fine…" he released me and closed the door… what just happened here? Did Sam just walk out on him? I walk back to my room, dragging my feet all the way. Where is she even going? Back to America probably… but what about the baby? I lay down on the bed, which only made things all the worse; I could distinctly hear Cass crying to himself… alone.

A/N- Oh… that has got to hurt. This is the first time Cass has cried, isn't it? Everyone seems to get fucked up at one point or another, and here is Cass's point! Do you think she'll come back? Will she even make another appearance in this story? Find out in the next chapter (or maybe not); Tests, until then, keep on keepin' on!

A/A/N- By the way, just as a heads up, next chapter will be pretty long, so give me more then a few days to update!


	114. Tests

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Chapter 114: Tests

A/N- This chapter was proof-read by Frost-Eva-04. Thanks for the help!

Shinji/Asuka's Room – 8:00 PM

Neither of us has said a word since Sam left. She basically explained what happened and ever since then we've been lying on our bed. I had the flight records checked for today, and Sam was on route to America… She's probably half way there already. Still – even now – nobody knows why exactly she left. Maybe Asuka was right about the stress getting to be too much…

"Commander Ikari," the silence was cut off by a woman's voice through the intercom, "Dr. Akagi needs you in the bridge, she says it's important," does it have to be right now?

"Okay, tell her I'll be up in a few minutes," the intercom went silent and I got up, "Sorry Asuka, I gotta go," she gets up herself and picks up Dietlinde.

"I'm coming with you," did I have a choice in the matter? As we started to walk down the hallway, I noticed Dietlinde start to move in Asuka's arms, "What's wrong Dietlinde?" she reached out towards me and smiled, "Aw, you wanna be with daddy, huh?" Asuka turns and smiles at me, "Here," I take my daughter from Asuka with a smile.

"That's weird, normally she wants to be with you," with a smile on her face, she gets comfortable and closes her eyes.

"Like I said, she's really close to you now. It's so cute!" even I had to admit, it was pretty cute how she asks for me now. Trying to let her rest, we keep quiet until we get to the bridge… I say 'until' because when we finally got there, the bridge was abuzz with alarms, yelling, and I think a heard a guy scream… still not too sure…

"What the hell?" muttered from Asuka's lips before Dietlinde began to cry from the noise, "Here, let me take her back into the hallway," she took Dietlinde from me and left… what now? Within a few seconds, Akagi ran up to me with a worried face.

"Shinji, we have a problem. It looks like another angel is flying towards NERV," you've got to be shitting me…

"Are you kidding? I thought we got rid of them all!" she grabbed my wrist and guided – in other words, forced me – to a large screen across the room. The screen showed Japan, with a small yellow dot moving south towards our location.

"That's what's confusing me, it doesn't have the same characteristics of an angel, it looks more like a huge Eva, but… I don't know, but you need to confront it. If it attacks… well, you know the routine. Hurry up and change into your plug suit, it'll be here within ten minutes," just fucking great… "I'll call Sam to-" I quickly cut her off.

"Don't bother, Sam left. I'll explain later. Prepare all other Evas with dummy plugs, but don't launch them until I give the word. I'll be in Unit-01 in a couple minutes, have it ready for me," I run off to the locker room and – by some miracle – remember my old locker combination. When I get changed I get into my Eva and wait for Akagi to launch me.

"Are you sure you want to go out alone?" finally, she makes an appearance.

"Yeah, but like I said, have the dummy plugs ready. Is Asuka in the bridge or did she go back to our room?" right on cue, my wife and daughter make an appearance on the video link.

"Shinji! Get your ass back down here! They don't even know what it is yet!" by now, Dietlinde has calmed down and was being cradled in an obviously pissed off Asuka.

"Sorry Asuka, I'll be back in a few minutes," she immediately shot back… I'm not going to win this fight… or any fight for that matter.

"That's what you said last time!" I saw a small tear form in her eye, "I'm not going to lose you again! I can't!" so that's what this is about… "Shinji… please… come back…" she closed her eyes and let a tear roll down her face.

"Asuka, I promise, I'll be back. This thing might not even be violent…" that didn't even seem to get through, "Asuka…" she finally looks up, "I love you," she smiles a little.

"You promised me Shinji… come back…" with one last smile, I shut off the link and I felt the force of the launch. When I get to the surface – at first – I see nothing, a few buildings here, a mountain there, nothing that even looked remotely close to an Eva.

"Um… hello? Ritsuko, I thought you said it was close," still, nothing to be seen. Akagi shows up to my left over a comm. link.

"I don't understand it, it should be right in front of you," is she blind or something? I don't see crap! "Why don't you just come back, this might just be another glitch," you think that they would have checked that before sending me out here! "Yeah, it just disappeared, this is a glitch. Sorry about that," ugh… damn it…

"No problem, I guess it's better than an actual fight…" but still! You think they would have gotten a visual on it first if they knew the MAGI were having glitches!

"Okay Shinji! You heard her! Get back here!" and of course, Asuka was once again trying to get me back. I understand where she was coming from though, watching me die must have really messed with her head… she's paranoid now.

"Yeah, I'm coming."

---

Outside of Locker Room – A Few Minutes Later

"Hey Shinji!" just as I'm walking out of the locker room, I see Asuka walking towards me, still holding Dietlinde.

"See Asuka? I told you I'd be back," I wrap my arm around her and smile. She looks up at me, returning the smile, "Did Ritsuko find out what was wrong?" she just shrugs and looks down at Dietlinde.

"How should I know? I just heard her mumble something about tests. It sounds like you gotta run another sync test," I always hated those! What's the point of them anymore? I already know I can pilot! "Damn… I just got out of my plug suit… well; let me go talk to her. You might want to go put Dietlinde to bed; she's starting to look tired. I'll be in with you two when we're done," I peck her on the lips and she smiles.

"Try to hurry, you know I hate being alone," as she walked away, she dragged her finger across my chest… She can be the biggest flirt sometimes!

"Oh, Shinji, I've been waiting for you," making me avert my stare from Asuka, Akagi walks up next to me, "I wanted to run some tests, something went wrong with the MAGI, and I wanted to see if I could figure it out. Sorry about this, but you'll need to get back into your plug suit. I'll go get Asuka while you change," wait… what?

"Why does Asuka have to test?" and what about Dietlinde even if she DOES do this?

"Well, she doesn't HAVE to, but it would be safer. If her Eva is malfunctioning too, we could end up with some serious trouble," she puts her hand on my shoulder, "Shinji… I know why you're worried about her. After what happened last time, I don't blame you, but that was because she was fighting. She'll be at rest, nothing can go wrong, I promise," oh yeah, that made me feel better!

"I still don't think-"

"I'm not a little girl anymore Shinji, I can think for myself. I'll be fine," and of course, Asuka has to come back… damn it… it thought that I'd be able to talk Akagi out of it!

"Oh, hi Asuka… are you sure you're okay with it?" Asuka hands a sleeping Dietlinde to Ritsuko.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I mean, I'm only four months pregnant, I doubt I'll be giving birth anytime soon!" I still don't feel right about this… "Listen Shinji, I'll be fine! I haven't even gotten into my Eva for awhile, I want to spend some time with Unit-02," she was always so proud of piloting, and come to think of it, she hasn't even seen her Eva in quite awhile.

"Okay… Ritsuko, promise me that nothing will go wrong," she smiles at me and nods.

"I promise, now get into your suits, your Evas are ready," she walks away with Dietlinde and out of nowhere, Asuka pecks me on the cheek.

"You're getting yourself all worked up over nothing, I was seven months pregnant Shinji! I could have given birth even without the Eva!" I guess that was true… but still…

"Okay… but if you start to feel weird, please get out of there, okay?" she simply smiles as she walks into the locker room, "Oh yeah, that makes me feel great!" I hear her chuckle through the door. Feeling slightly reassured, I go into the locker room ONCE AGAIN and get changed, ONCE AGAIN. I really wish Ritsuko would have planned ahead…

"He can be the biggest baby sometimes… Dietlinde can be braver then him sometimes!" I hear sound coming through an old hole in the wall, now covered by a spider web. They still didn't get that fixed?

"Well, she does take after her mother…" I'm sure she just jumped out of her skin right there!

"You never change Shinji… still eavesdropping…" hey, she was the one talking!

"You're the one that made the hole, remember? And plus, I have reason to worry," she once again chuckles.

"Oh yeah, Shinji, YOU'RE worried. I'm the one that has to give birth! You have no idea how much that hurts!" yeah, I'll give her that, she is brave about giving birth! Just having surgery done on my wrist hurt like a bitch, I can't imagine what THAT is like!

"You know what I mean… but I guess you're right, I doubt anything will go wrong. You ready yet?" I start to walk out as she replies.

"Um… not really… I kinda forgot my locker combination… do you have any idea what it is?" should have seen that coming…

"Hold on…" without a second thought, I walk into her locker room to see her in the bare minimal; bra and panties.

"SHINJI! You can't just walk in like that!" I just smirk at her blushing face.

"Don't worry about it, I've already seen everything!" all that did was make her blush deeper! "See, I've spent enough time here to know a few tricks about the lockers…" I walk up to her locker and jiggle the knob a little.

"And that would be?" I glance over to see her trying to cover up a little by crossing her arms. That quick glance was… enough. Her stomach has bulged more then I thought it has, she already looks a good six months into the pregnancy.

"Um… y-you just have to turn it a certain way," I go back to the lock and pop it open, "Just pull out and turn to the right a few times and it'll come right out…" she smiles up at me and raises an eyebrow.

"Like what you see?" no, she's only my wife!

"What answer won't get me in trouble?" that was the better question! She uncrosses her arms and picks up her plug suit.

"Ha ha, Shinji, real funny," she reaches back and un-does her bra strap… whoa! She's going to change in front of me? What did I do right? Not exactly knowing what to do, I take a seat on the bench and wait for her to finish. Soon enough, the panties came off, and she put on the plug suit, "I'm your wife, and yet you still stare!" shit! I was staring!

"Oh… sorry…" she laughs as she walks towards the exit. I get up and follow close behind her.

"Why are you apologizing? You've gotten way more then that!" she slows down so we are walking side by side, "And plus…" she leans up and begins to whisper in my ear, "I like giving a show every now and then…" um… wow… that voice was… wow… she smiles seductively and wraps an arm around my shoulders. I copy her action, putting my arm around her hips. We exit the locker room, only to be seen by a NERV guard, now wide eyed.

"Um… hello… Commander…" oh shit!

"Her locker was stuck! I had to help her!" he smirks and begins to walk away.

"Dr. Akagi wanted to know if you were almost ready, she told me to tell you to hurry up… but hey, do what you like," oh man… I'm sure she'll get word of this… we walk in silence towards the bridge, and by the time we got there, we were holding hands.

"Oh, hey, your Evas are ready. Just go into the cages, the entry plugs are already open for you," she points towards the cage entrance. Without a response, we leave and head for our Evas.

"Hey Shinji…" I look down at Asuka to see her gently resting her hand on her stomach, "I've been thinking…" ah crap… she had that voice on…

"Oh yeah, about what?" I try to sound as friendly as possible.

"About the new baby… I know it sounds stupid, but I just have a really bad feeling about it… like, something is going to go wrong… or is wrong…" well that caught my attention…

"Oh… well, it's probably just your imagination, I mean, even Akagi said that it's growing properly," she closes her eyes and shakes her head.

"Not that… it just feels like… like I'm not supposed to be with it… I can't explain it…" well that didn't sound too good… "Forget I said anything… I'm just being paranoid…" I put my hands on her shoulders and look down on her.

"Asuka, you're a wonderful mother, don't you ever think otherwise. You'll always be with both of our children, no matter what. I know you'll make sure of that," she lets out a weak smile, "Now lets get this damn test out of the way, I never liked being in plug suits!" we both start to walk towards our respective Evas.

"Try being pregnant in one, THEN you can complain to me," eh, true…

"No, I'm good thanks, you can do that!" I close the hatch before she can make a comment, saving my ass once again! The console springs to life and her face shows up on the monitor.

"Oh, real brave Shinji!" all I could do was nervously scratch the back of my head and laugh, "You're so lucky we're married or I'd-" her comm. link was broken and Ritsuko took her place.

"Okay you two, enough. Let's begin. Just relax and concentrate on your sync scores. Try not to talk by the way," the screen goes black and I was left in the silence. With a soft sigh, I close my eyes and try to concentrate.

---

Ten Minutes Later

"Hey Asuka, are you alright, your heart rate is pretty high," pulling me out of near sleep, Akagi breaks the silence… wait, what's wrong with Asuka!

"Yeah, I'm fine, the baby just started to kick, and it won't stop, sorry…" okay, that was actually good news! "I think something in the Eva is making it uncomfortable, don't worry about it. Are we almost done here?" yeah, this is taking longer then normal.

"Yeah, you can get out now… wait a second… Asuka, are you sure you're okay?" I hear Asuka let out an annoyed sigh.

"I already told you, yes! What's the problem?"

"The MAGI says that… there has to be a glitch here… it says that you're dead…" well no duh that's a glitch! "Well… it says that you're dead… but not the baby…" okay, that's a little creepy.

"Well that's stupid! If I'm dead – which I'm pretty damn sure that I'm not – then the baby would be! Can I just get out of-" Asuka suddenly hunches over and grasps her stomach, "Uh…! Sh-Shinji… get me out of here… this i-isn't… normal…" her face leaves the comm. link and an ear piercing howl echoes through the cage. I hear metal bending and a loud crash.

"Akagi, what's going on with Asuka!" I get no reply though. In fear, I force my way out of the entry plug and look up at Unit-02… breaking away from its restraints…

"Shinji!" I hear Ritsuko over the room's intercom, "Get out of there! Something's going on with her Eva!" well no fucking duh! I run as fast as I can to the bridge and see red lights and sirens going off everywhere, "Shinji! Over here!" I look to my right to see Ritsuko holding Dietlinde, obviously crying from all the chaos.

"What the fuck is happening! You said that nothing could go wrong!" I quickly take Dietlinde from her and glare at Akagi.

"I don't know! I can't open a comm. link with her, and I can't shut the Eva down!" I hear a huge crash and turn my attention to the window over-looking the cage where Unit-02 is. It's broken free of all restraints, and now is hunched over, just staring at the ground. Slowly, I make my way over to the window, "Shinji, get away from there!" I find myself unable to move, or even speak for that matter – my eyes were just fixated on the glowing white eyes of Unit-02… why can't I move? Unit-02's head instantly looks to the side at me.

Dietlinde continues to ball as I stare into the eyes of this machine. The Eva slowly straightens its back and looks down at me with now bright-as-fire eyes. My wife is in that monster… my wife is in it… and I can't save her… before I could react, it raises its fist and punches through the glass in one foul swoop, wrapping its fingers around me and Dietlinde as it took its hand back.

"SHINJI!" I hear Akagi yell up to me, but I still can't react. Dietlinde is now crying so hard that she's having trouble breathing.

"Asuka…" I finally get a word out, "Control it…" its grip tightens around my stomach, making it difficult for me to breath. Soon enough, Unit-02 falls to its knees and then onto its chest, releasing me and Dietlinde when it hits the ground. I still find it impossible to move, the only muscles in my body that were working were the ones holding Dietlinde from falling out of my reach.

"Shinji, get up!" I hear Ritsuko run up to me and she makes me struggle to my feet, taking Dietlinde from me after I gain my balance, "What's wrong Shinji? Snap out of it!" I finally come back to my senses and everything comes rushing to me.

"Asuka!" I jet towards the entry plug just as it ejects itself to show her in a fetal position, rocking back and forth and softly chanting something.

"_Nehmen sie mich mami nicht…_" she repeatedly said those words, taking short pauses in between words.

"Asuka…?" I slowly reach into the LCL to put my hand on her shoulder, but she doesn't even respond, "Come on Asuka…" she continues to chant those words. Finally, I reach in and pick her up. I softly set her on the floor and try to coax her to her feet.

"_Nehmen sie mich mami nicht…_" kneeling next to her, I try to take her hand, but she clenched it into a fist. Once again in a fetal position, she hid her face and softly cried.

"Shinji, take Dietlinde, I need to get Asuka to the hospital," I look up to see that she has already called for a stretcher.

"Yeah…" with a sinking heart, I get up and take my baby back. Seeing the medical staff pick up Asuka and put her on the stretcher was… horrifying… everyone promised that she'd be okay… I knew I shouldn't have done this… as Akagi and the other doctor ran off, I hear Dietlinde begin to whine, staring at her mother with arms extended to her.

"It's okay Dietlinde… mommy's…" I found it impossible to say that she's okay… she's not… Asuka's not okay… what happened to her in there? What was she even saying? "Mommy will be back…"

---

The Next Morning – 11:00 AM

I had Dietlinde sleep with me last night; she seemed too uncomfortable to be left alone. Instead of lying on my chest like she normally does, she slept on Asuka's pillow the entire night. It took her at least two hours to fall asleep… does she realize what's going on? Right now, she was staring into my eyes while I rubbed her back.

"You look so much like your mother…" those same sapphire eyes looked to me for guidance, "I love you Dietlinde…"

"Daddy…" did she just…

"Dietlinde… Did you just… call me daddy?" I feel a small smile cross my face.

"Daddy…" I see her smile back at me. Now with a full blown smile, I pick her up and kiss her forehead. She just spoke her first word! Not only that, it was her saying my 'name'! My smile instantly fades when I realize that Asuka wasn't here to see this… she missed it… when Dietlinde saw me frown, she follows my actions.

"Sorry…" I plant on a fake smile, "How about we go see mommy?" hopefully she'll say that soon too. I begin to walk out of the room with a now smiling Dietlinde in my arms.

"Oh, Shinji," to my surprise, I hear Cass's voice… actually sounding normal. I turn to see him behind me in his wheelchair.

"Hey Cass… how are you doing…?" he knew what I was talking about.

"I'm fine… she called this morning. She's staying with Miguel… she's really happy to be back home…" he puts on a fake smile, "I'm really happy for her!" I see a small tear form in his eye.

"Cass… you need to go get her. This IS her home, not in Miami," he softly shakes his head.

"Not anymore… she said that she's not coming back…" he lowers his head, trying to cover the tears.

"Cass, enough of that, I'm going to get you on a plane tonight, and you ARE going to see her. Pack your things, you're going whether you like it or not," hey, sometimes you gotta force help on people.

"No I'm not, she's happy where she is," he turns around and begins to push himself away, but I grab one of the handles and force him to stop.

"You're in a wheelchair with a broken leg; you know I can force you. Go ahead and leave, but I'm making sure that you'll be on that plane tonight," he keeps quite, "Good luck Cass…" I let him go and after a brief pause, he retreats into his room. With a small sigh, I once again begin to walk towards the hospital.

"Daddy?" I let out a small chuckle at her 'question'. She's defiantly going to be a talker!

"Don't worry, daddy's just gotta take care of that couple! I set them up, and I guess I have to KEEP them up," once again, I make my way down the hallway towards the hospital. Eventually, I find myself at the front desk.

"Oh, hello commander, can I help you?" the nurse gives me a sweet smile, and I return the gesture.

"Yes, can I see Asuka Langley Ikari?" she raises and eyebrow, obviously confused.

"Um… yeah… she's in room 504… is she your wife?" her smile slowly fades… I don't like that…

"Yeah, is she okay?" she looks back at her computer, frowning slightly… damn it…

"That's… not my place to say…" shit! I began to walk… well, walk VERY quickly down the hall until I see her room. I swing open the door to see her lying on her back, staring at the ceiling.

"Asuka…" she slowly rolled her head in my direction and looked at me… her eyes were… different… I can't describe it, but something was different in her eyes, "Are… you okay?" she didn't say a word; instead, she once again began to stare up at the ceiling. I walk to her bedside and sit down. Dietlinde had a huge smile on her face at seeing her mother again, but I did notice a sense of disappointment that she wasn't responding, "Dietlinde… said her first word, Asuka…" still, no response, "She said daddy… isn't that great?" I smile slightly, just by thinking of what had happened with Dietlinde, "Babies aren't supposed to talk until they're at least ten months…" I simply gave up after that. If she didn't respond to that, she's not going to respond.

"Shinji?" I turn to see Akagi holding a clipboard at the doorway, "When did you get here?"

"Just a few seconds ago… what's wrong with Asuka?" she walks up next to me and looks down at the clipboard.

"I have no idea… she's not responding to anything, even her pupils refuse to dilate. She only stopped chanting those words and came out of the fetal position about an hour ago. Whatever happened to her in that Eva was… terrible to say the least… I'm so sorry Shinji; I promised you that this wouldn't happen…" I try to change the subject.

"I let her in, don't worry about it. Just tell me what's going on with her," Akagi once again hangs her head.

"That's what's odd to me, I can't it find out. Her brain is active… well, TOO active actually. On average, a human only uses about thirty percent of their brain; Asuka is using at least fifty, if not more. Her body should be overwhelmed by now but… I just don't know… sorry Shinji, but I'll have to keep her here for awhile. I have to run a few tests to see what's going on… and why for that matter," I could have sworn that I felt Dietlinde tense up when she heard that her mother wasn't coming home.

"Okay… any idea how long until she's back to normal?" she once again shakes her head… damn it…

"Sorry, I don't, but I might know soon. For now, I'm going to see what I can find so… I hate to ask this but… you'll have to leave. You can come back in about an hour," I stand up and she guides me out of the room, closing the door after me. What was wrong with Asuka? How can her pupils not even be responding? It just doesn't make sense…

"Mmmm…" Dietlinde starts to squirm and whine. I smile down and her and start to cradle as I walk back to our room.

"Calm down Dietlinde, she'll be okay, I promise," she gives a weak smile of her own, and I see tears form in her eyes, "Now don't do that…" she buries her face in my shirt and begins to cry softly. I bring her up a little closer to my face and without realizing it, I cry along with her. As I lay on my bed with Dietlinde on my chest, I feel closer to Dietlinde then I have been in the last 8 months. We were feeling the exact same way, and we were sharing those feelings with each other; not holding back anything, "I love you Dietlinde…" I mutter under my breath. We laid there on the bed for a good half hour before gaining our composure. Though I felt a slight sense of disappointment in myself for crying in front of – not just in front, WITH – Dietlinde, I think that she barely noticed. I'm glad that we're able to spend time like this, even if it's spent in this manner.

"Um… Shinji… are you two okay…?" oh great, Akagi saw me! I sit up – still holding a now sleeping Dietlinde – and look at her.

"Yeah, sorry about that… any word on Asuka?" she puts on a half nervous, half happy smile… uh oh…

"Yeah… actually, two words… see, I finally got her to respond but… she… told me to fuck off…" if this was a joke, I swear I'll fire her…

"You're kidding, right?" she chuckles as she shakes her head.

"No, actually, this might just be from the pregnancy, so… you wanna go see her?" for some reason, Dietlinde wakes up and looks at Akagi with lit up eyes, "Well, aren't you a smart little girl!" I see Dietlinde smile slightly.

"Actually, yeah, she said her first word today," Akagi smiled wide.

"Well good, I knew she'd be advanced! Anyway, let's go see Asuka, you wouldn't want to keep her waiting, now would you?" with a smile, I stand up and meet Ritsuko eye to eye.

"Thank you Rits… really, you've done so much for us," she shakes her head as we begin to walk.

"Don't worry about it… oh yeah, and just a word of advice when you see her… don't piss her off… I still don't understand why she looked so mad at me. Anyway, you know where her room is… I'm going to head out for the day, I'm still moving into my new house," yeah, come to think of it, we have to move into our house in a couple weeks.

"Okay, if you need any help just call me. See you later," she turns a corner and left me walking in the seemingly endless hallway. How many times have I walked down this hall to the hospital exactly? I'm guessing at least five… when I get down there, I see Asuka with her eyes closed lying on her back, "Um… Asuka…?" she opens her eyes and once again looks at me.

"Um… yeah? Do you need something?" Wow… haven't heard that voice in awhile…

"Well… I thought you were hurt so… are you okay?" Akagi wasn't kidding; she really is pissed about something.

"I'm alive, aren't I? I'm fine…" she rolls onto her side, turning away from me, "Now just leave… I don't want to talk right now…" okay, now I know that voice! Something was troubling her…

"Asuka," I take a seat next to her, "I know when something is wrong with you; now tell me, what happened in that Eva?"

"Shinji… I love you but… you just wouldn't understand…" I put my hand on her shoulder, and she obviously sensed that I wasn't going to give in, "Shinji… I've been lying to you for awhile now…" now that doesn't sound good…

"About what?" I'm sure I didn't want to know, but that's the only thing I could think of saying.

"My mother… the story I told you was only half true… yes, she did end up in an insane asylum but… she never died… when I ran into her room, she had hung herself, but she was still alive. The doctors came and got her down before she died… a few days later, she actually started a conversation with me… I was so happy to finally be talking with her again but… the things she said… I didn't understand them at the time but…" she starts to quiver and soon, she's crying.

"Asuka… what happened between you two?" she once again begins to speak with a shaking voice.

"She wanted me to die with her… she said she loved me so… she didn't want to be away from me… all I heard was 'I love you', so I went to hug her… she hugged me back and… she began to strangle me… she smiled down at me the entire time, saying 'I love you' over and over… the doctors came just as I passed out…" I always had a feeling that what she told me wasn't the whole story but… damn… "Shinji, please leave… I don't want Dietlinde to see me like this…" realizing that I would feel the same way, I stand up.

"Okay, but I'll be back, I promise," I walk out of the room, feeling my heart pounding. I can't believe that she went through that! No wonder she used to act so heartless! "We'll go see Mommy later Dietlinde…"

A/N- Sorry that took so long to get done, preparing for school took up more time then I thought. Anyway, enough of that, back to the story! So, Asuka's past was more fucked up then you though, eh? Her mother tried to kill her… that plus the fact that your dad left equals one messed up girl! Well, travel inside the insane mind of Asuka in the next chapter; Her Nightmares, until then, keep on keepin' on!

A/A/N- One more thing, I meant to make it longer, but all of the PMs were getting on my nerves, so I had to end it. Please people, when I say something in an A/N, take it to heart!


	115. Sam's Call

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Chapter 115: Sam's Call

A/N- This chapter was proof-read by Frost-Eva-04.

3:00 AM That Night

"I love you honey, you know that right?" I wrap my arms around her tight, inhaling her scent as I smile.

"Yes mommy, I love you too," she copies my action and hugs me. Her arms tighten around my body, making it uncomfortable to breath, "Mommy… that hurts… not so hard…"

"Asuka, honey, I'm not going to be here much longer," she lets go of me and wraps her hands around my neck, pressing her thumbs on my trachea, "I want you to come with me Asuka… I want to be with you."

"Mom… my… I… can't breath…" she simply smiles down at me with the face that I have come to love.

"Don't worry honey, it'll be over soon… I love you," my head feels like it's going to burst, and my vision is blurring.

"Stop… it…"

"I love you honey… I love you…"

---

Hospital – Same Time

"Asuka! Calm down!" I thrust my eyes open in a cold sweat to see Akagi holding my shoulders down, "What's going on?" trying to catch my breath, I relax my muscles and she lets me go.

"Sorry… Ritsuko? Can I ask you a question?" she lets out a soft sigh and sits down next to me.

"Sure, what is it?" she starts to glance over whatever was on her clipboard.

"Do… you know about my mother?" she looks up at me with a raised eyebrow, "I know it's an odd question, but do you?" she set set he clipboard down on the nightstand and smiles at me.

"Well, it's not really my business, but I don't know anything more then the fact that she used to be in an insane asylum. Why?" thank God… I didn't even want to tell Shinji…

"Nothing, never mind… sorry for the scare," she stood up and began to walk out.

"No problem, if you need anything, just call me. Oh, by the way, your vitals are stable now; if you want you can go back to your room. I'm sure Shinji is worried about you," feeling my knees shake; I sit up in bed after she leaves.

"I can't believe I've lied to him this long… he probably doesn't even trust me anymore…" as I get up, I realize something… they put me in a hospital gown… damnit! I'm not gonna walk back showing my ass! Akagi could have at least given me some pants! I was about to lay back down when I looked at the clock… who's gonna be out at three in the morning? Hopefully no one… I get up and peek outside the door, seeing that no one was in the halls. My heart pounding, I walk out and begin to walk quickly back to my room. Just as I grasp the handle, I hear a voice… damnit…

"Wow… Asuka… you're better…" I whip around to see Cass behind me, blushing deeply. Why him? He's in a wheelchair!

"Cass! Um… listen, I'll make you a deal, you don't say a word about this ever again and I won't beat the shit out of you for staring at me," if people saw bruises they'd ask questions…

"Y-Yeah… deal…" just as I'm walking in, I hear him mutter something, "Damn Shinji's lucky…" I wanted to turn around and slap him, but I wasn't in the mood. I close the door and see Shinji sleeping through the darkness. Basically feeling my way there, I crawl into bed behind him and hold him close.

"I love you Shinji…" I whisper into his ear.

"I love you too Asuka…" he turns around and smiles at me, "How are you feeling?"

"Better… it actually feels pretty good to get that off my chest…" I move my head forward, centimeters from his lips, "Sorry for lying… I can make up for it though…" I lean forward and embrace him in a tight kiss. As we were kissing, I found myself thinking of how we met on that warship. Within the first few minutes he saw everything! Though that was embarrassing… I did kinda like the fact that I was showing my body to a boy like HIM.

"Asuka…" he pulls back from the kiss, "Did… you walk all the way here in that gown…?" I feel my face blaze up.

"Well… yeah…" time to turn this around… "You like?" I take his hand and place it on my bare hip. Now I wasn't the only one blushing!

"Yeah…" he slides his hand down, moving my gown aside.

"Shinji…" I smirk at him, knowing where he was going with this. I once again lean forward and embrace him in a tight kiss. I crawl over him and he reaches around me, untying my gown and letting it fall on top of him. I lean up and smile down on him as I grab the gown and throw it aside.

"You're so… beautiful…" translation; you're so sexy! Smirking, I slide my hands up under his shirt and pull it off. Soon enough, we were both down to nothing and I was on top of him, rocking up and down.

---

Half n Hour Later

"Shinji!" I arch my back and throw my head back. After a few seconds, I fall forward onto Shinji. I bring up my hips and make him pull out.

"As… uka…" neither of us moved a muscle for a good ten minutes, just trying to catch our breath. When we finally do, I speak up.

"That was amazing… I love you so much Shinji…" he wraps his arms around me and hugs me tight.

"I love you too…" he eventually takes his arms back, reaches down and locks his fingers with mine. We soon fall asleep, never budging after he grasped my hands. I really do love this man… nothing will ever change that…

---

Same Place – 8:00 AM

I wake up – thankfully not by a nightmare – to see Shinji still sound asleep, still holding my hand. I get out of bed and stretch my arms above my head, sending a few cracks through the room. I grab the sheets and cover up Shinji, then place a light kiss on his lips. I walk into the bathroom and turn on the shower, smirking as I left the door open. Might as well give him a show, right? I step into the steaming shower and begin the daily routine. Within fifteen minutes, I was back out of the shower and drying myself off. Still drying off my hair, I walk back into our room to see him still asleep. Eh, his loss!

"I'll wake him a little later…" I throw on some clothes and walk over to Dietlinde's crib. She was clutching her bear, sound asleep. Smiling, I reach in and gently stroke her hair, "You're so cute when you're asleep…" I love her so much…

"Yeah, just like her mother," I turn around to see Shinji sitting up in bed, using the sheets to cover up slightly across his hips.

"About time you woke up," I walk over to the closet and grab a pair of his pants, throwing them at him while smiling, "Here, put these on, I'd rather not have Dietlinde see THAT much of you!"

"Oh shit! I forgot about her! We actually had sex with her in the room!" ah crap… I didn't think of that…

"Oh man… she probably slept through it… I hope…" I can't believe we did that!

"Oh, I meant to ask you this, who were you talking to outside last night?" ah shit! Did he have to ask THAT of all things?

"I… was talking to Cass… he kinda saw my… ass… though the gown…" he goes wide eyed and leaps up, giving me quite the show, "I didn't mean to do it! He just came out of nowhere!"

"Asuka… he's in a wheelchair… think about it…" okay, seriously, I have no idea where he's going with this, "I think he saw a little more then your ass…" OKAY! Crap! I can't believe that!

"You mean… ah shit…" with a sigh, he puts on his pants.

"Yeah…" after a few seconds, he spoke up again, "Did you give him any lip?"

"SHINJI! That's just messed up! You know that I didn't mean to show him shit!" yeah, real fucking funny! 'Did you give him any lip?' Smart ass!

"Oops…" he chuckles a little, "I didn't mean it like that, sorry. Don't worry, I don't care, it was an accident. Forget about it… anyway… last night was great," I slowly walk over to him smiling and put my finger under his chin.

"Oh, it was, was it?" I lean forward and close my eyes, "How about we do it again tomorrow…? We gotta celebrate your birthday, don't we?" before he could respond, I lock lips with him.

"Um… Shinji? I… need to talk with you…" I whip around to see Akagi in our doorway. Hasn't she ever of knocking!

"Ritsuko! You can't just barge in like that!" I could have sworn that she took a few glances at Shinji…

"S-Sorry… Shinji, throw on a shirt and come with me…" she was looking at him! I don't care if she hasn't gotten laid since Gendo was alive, but don't look at my husband like that!

"Sure," Shinji gets dressed and walks out of the room with Akagi, "Oh, Asuka," he stops and turns around, "Let Dietlinde sleep in a little bit, it took me awhile to get her to sleep last night," he actually stopped to tell me that? He's always thinking of her…

"Yeah, sure," he adores that child… does he ever really stop thinking about his family?

"Okay, I'll be back soon… I hope at least…" with that, they leave the room, leaving me with my sleeping child. Well, God only knows how long he'll be gone, so might as well get comfortable. I fall back onto the sofa and turn on the TV… and of course, the volume was all the way up when I turned it on… damnit. By the time I had the volume down, Dietlinde was awake and crying her eyes out. With a sigh, I get up and walk over to her crib.

"Hey honey, sorry about that," I pick her up and start to cradle her, "Shhh, calm down Dietlinde, it's okay," with her still crying, I walk back to the sofa and sit down. After a few minutes of cradling and soft whispering, she stops crying, "There ya go…" I softly kiss her on the forehead and she lets out a small smile, "Did you miss mommy?" she smiles wide and reaches up to me.

"Mommy…" did she just… call me mommy…?

"Dietlinde… did you just call me… mommy…?" I'm sure by now my smile was ear to ear. Why wouldn't it be? My daughter just said her first word! I leap up, holding Dietlinde under her arms and twirl her around, making her giggle, "I knew you'd be smart! You're already a good month ahead!" my up-beat tone only made her all the happier. When the phone rang, it pulled me out of playing with Dietlinde and into simply holding her – still giggling – and me still slightly laughing, "Hello?" I instantly hear crying on the other line and my smile fades.

"Asuka… its Sam…" I rush over and set Dietlinde back in her crib.

"Sam, what's wrong? Are you okay?" okay, stupid question.

"I can't do this… I just can't do this Asuka…" not knowing what to say, I keep quiet for a few seconds before she cuts in again, "Cass came… he said that he won't go back to Japan without me but… ah forget it… this was a stupid idea…" like hell she's going to hang up!

"Sam! Don't you dare hang up on me or I'll come get you myself!" silence on the other line, but I could tell that she hasn't hung up, "Now what's wrong?"

"I'm not ready for-" since I knew what was coming, I cut her off.

"The baby? Too bad. Sorry, but YOU had sex, and now both of you have to live with it. Sam, you saw me and Shinji with Dietlinde, it's not as bad as it seems…" I hear her shiver across the line, "Do you need me to go down there?"

"Y-You… don't have to…" where the hell is Cass in all of this?

"I know I don't, I'm asking if you want me to," she took a few seconds before responding.

"Please… I need help Asuka… Cass tried but… if anything he made it worse… I'm sorry about this Asuka but… I'm so scared…" at this point she's sobbing.

"Okay Sam, I'll be on the first flight out of here. Just try to stay calm until I get there, can you do that?" jeez, I sound like a mother… I AM a mother… why do I feel old all of the sudden?

"Okay…" she hung up after that. I'm worried about her… what if she does something stupid? Like aborting the baby? Cass would die…

"I'm back! Now, where were we?" I turn to see Shinji with a wide smile – and suddenly fading after he saw my face, "Are you okay? It looks like you've seen a ghost!"

"I need to get to Miami quick, Sam's freaking out. I'm going to send Cass back, he's just making things worse," I walk towards the closet and start to throw a few pairs of clothes in a suitcase.

"Um… sure… is she really that bad?" he didn't hear her on that phone… that wasn't just good acting…

"She's worse… listen, call the airport and get me on the first plane to Miami, now. It's a long flight, I need to get there as soon as possible," I shut the suitcase and throw it on the bed.

"Okay, whatever you say," within a few minutes, I was booked for the flight leaving at noon. It'll be about a twelve hour flight… I hope she can wait that long, "The airport is pretty far away, we better get going now," he snaps me out of my thought.

"Yeah… let's go," he grabs my bag and I pick up Dietlinde, still smiling wide from the previous playing. As we walk, I softly talk to Dietlinde, "Mommy's going away for awhile, okay? I'll be back soon, don't worry… Try to keep daddy in place while I'm gone," Shinji looks back at me and smirks as we get in the car.

"I can hear you, you know?" Dietlinde giggles a little as I try and set her in her car-seat.

"Yeah, I know!" the car takes off, slightly speeding… Shinji's starting to take after my driving skills!

---

11:45 AM – Airport

"Okay, I gotta get going," he pulls up to the side walk, letting me get out. I lean into the back seat and kiss Dietlinde on the forehead, "I'll see you soon honey, bye," as I start to walk off with my suitcase in hand, I hear my daughter start to whine. With a smile, I set my suitcase down and walk back, once again leaning into the back seat, "Now what did I say about being strong when I'm gone?" she smiles a little through he tears, "I gotta go, but I promise to call when I get there, okay?" I was talking half and half to Shinji and Dietlinde.

"Okay, now get going, she'll be fine, you're going to miss your flight," I lean over to Shinji and kiss him on the lips – of course!

"Okay, bye," I take off jogging into the airport, leaving my family to tend for themselves. As I was entering the airport, something hit me… I have a family… I really do have a family… I reach the front desk, forcing me to stop thinking of family matters.

"Hello, can I help you?" jeez… I better not run next time… I forgot about the baby! I can't even catch my breath…

"Yeah, where is the flight to Miami?" with a smile, she pointed to the left and I see a line of people entering a plane.

"You're just on time miss! Better hurry before the plane leaves! Do you nee any help with your suitcase?" finally, a person that's NOT an asshole around here…

"No, but thanks for the help," still trying to catch my breath, I walk towards the line.

"Miss! Miss, come back!" I hear the woman calling me back, and obviously annoyed, I walk back, "Sorry for this, but I noticed that you're pregnant. Listen, I've been pregnant on a flight before too, it's not exactly the most calming thing… want me to bump you to first class?" you know, I normally don't like being treated differently just because I'm pregnant but… I like that!

"Well, yeah but… I don't have the money for that. Thanks for the offer though," she smiles wide and shakes her head.

"No, not what I meant. I'm not supposed to do this, but I can just put you up there with no charge… that is, if you want me to," I've never been on first class before…

"Thanks, but I'll have to say no. I'm going to Florida to help out a friend, I wouldn't feel right if I did that," you stupid bitch! Take the first class! Forget about morals just for once!

"That's very nice of you, your husband must be proud," she glances down at my ring and once again smiles, "You better get going, the plane is about to leave."

---

Half an Hour Later

"Son of a bitch… why did this plane have to be held up?" I recline my chair back a little more and close my eyes. Some asshole tried to smuggle drugs on the plane, and – of course – the plane was delayed. Some guy sat next to me a few minutes ago, and he hasn't said a word since 'can I sit here?'.

"Tell me about it…" I stand corrected… "Why are you going to Miami? Vacation?" yeah… I'm going on vacation when I'm pregnant!

"No, I'm going to help a friend. You?" he chuckles a little before responding.

"To get married! I'm meeting my wife-to-be in the Keys… oh, you're married? A girl as young as you?" am I still a girl? I'm not a woman yet? Damn!

"Yeah, I was married at sixteen. In fact, this is my second child," he went wide eyed – just as all the people I tell that to do, "Yeah, I know, I'm young, you don't have to point that out."

"Sorry it's just that… you sound just like my daughter," this guy has a daughter?

"Oh yeah? How old is she?" I see him blush a little.

"Well… it was with my wife but… she was thirteen at the time, so our daughter's fifteen. I don't like talking about that; most people look down on something like that," not like I could say anything demeaning about it…

"Don't worry, I don't. Anyway, I'm going to sleep, I didn't get much sleep last night…" I wonder why…

---

Shinji/Asuka's Room – 8:30 AM

"Asuka!" I pop my head up, coming out of my sleep to see Shinji in the door way, and rushing towards me with a look of anger in his eyes, "Stand up!" he grabs my upper arm, pulling me up from the sofa… what the fuck!

"What the hell is your problem!" he instantly throws his hand across my face, backhanding me and sending me to the floor.

"I didn't care that you lied to me about your mother, I understood it, but there's more, isn't there! How long were you planning on lying to me!" I feel tears run down my still stinging face.

"Shin… ji…" I crawl to my knees, still trying to catch my breath. What is he doing?

"Why the fuck have you been lying to me this whole time! You know that I wouldn't have cared!" he once again grabs my upper arm and pulls me to my feet, "You think you could have kept this from me for the rest of your life?" Dietlinde begins to cry in her crib from the yelling.

"Stop… it…" I'm simply sobbing by now. He tightens his grip on my arm, sending a streak of pain through my arm.

"No! You don't tell me what to do anymore! I've put up with your shit for three years now, and I'm done!" he once again throws me down.

"Stop it!" I yell at the top of my lungs, only making Dietlinde cry harder, "Don't you touch me again!" I look up at him to see him glaring down at me, "I swear to God… if you hit me again…"

"You'll do what!" a few seconds of silence between us, but the room was full of Dietlinde's crying, "You're pathetic… you can't even tell your husband the truth…" I make my way to my feet and slowly walk towards Dietlinde's crib, "What are you doing?"

"Don't… talk to me…" I lean into Dietlinde's crib and stroke her hair, "Shhh, calm down honey…"

"Get away from her! You don't deserve to be with her!" he grabs my shoulders and throws me to the ground next to Dietlinde's crib. He picks her up and starts to walk away, "You're leaving in the morning, pack your things, you're going back to Germany," he slams the door after that, leaving me bleeding and sobbing on the ground.

---

Plane – 3:00 PM

"Miss, wake up, are you okay?" I eyes perk open to see the man sitting next to me pushing me awake, "You were starting to thrash your arms… are you okay?" after taking a deep breath to catch my breath, I relax my muscles.

"Yeah… sorry…" what the fuck is up with these nightmares lately? "Are… we almost there?" I see him relax a little and lean back in his chair.

"Not quite, we're three hours away. Might as well go back to sleep… sorry for waking you, but you was starting to get loud," something must be going on with me… maybe it's the pregnancy…

"No, don't worry about it…" I once again close my eyes and eventually drift back to sleep.

---

6:15 PM – Same Place

I wake up to a violent shaking all around me. At first, I thought it was just turbulence, but when I looked out the window what I saw turned that around. Miami… it's been awhile! This is where Shinji and I first had sex, and where we conceived Dietlinde.

"We will be landing in approximately five minutes. Please gather all of your belongings and get ready to de-board the plane. Thank you," the flight attendant came over the intercom and awoke every sleeping person on the plane. The plane started to shuffle with the sound of people 'gathering their belongings'. Since I was in a window seat I had to wait for sleeping beauty here – of course he of all people didn't wake up form the intercom blasting.

"Hey, come on, wake up," I nudge him awake and he looks around for a moment in confusion.

"Oh… sorry," he stand up and grabs a small bag from above, "What's your name by the way? Sorry for not asking before, that was rude," he leans down and puts out his hand, "Then name's Shinji," you've got to be fucking kidding me…

"Really? My husband's name is Shinji," I shake his hand, "It's Asuka, nice to meet you," seriously, what are the chances of that happening?

"Well, isn't it a small world!" he was thrown down to the floor as the plane jerked.

"Passengers, we have now landed," I couldn't help but laughing when I saw the look of his face when he stood up.

"No shit…" he takes his seat, holding his head and cursing under his breath. Within a few minutes, we were off the plane and I was aimlessly walking through the airport… how the hell am I going to get to Sam! I barely speak any English!

"_Excuse me, ma'am? Do you need any help?_" I turn around to see a flight attendant… ah shit.

"Um… _I… don't really spoke English…_" I hope I said that right… probably not…

"_Oh…never mind then,_" and then she walked off… she could have just cussed me out and I wouldn't have known! Might as well go outside and see if I can't catch a cab AND tell them where I'm going… this is going to be a long day… after ten minutes and guessing what signs said, I finally get outside… now I just gotta catch a cab.

"_Taxi!_" I see a man next to me hold up his hand and yell that word… when in Rome, I guess!

"_Taxi…?_" I hold up my hand and surprisingly, a cab rolls up next to me. I climb into the yellow car only to be engulfed in the stench of tobacco.

"_Where you headed? Come on, hurry up,_" I hand him the address of Miguel's restaurant, hoping that he'd understand, "_What? You don't speak or something? Jeez, rude bitch,_" and then he drives off… I understood some of that!

"_I don't spoke much English dick!_" even if I didn't say that right, I scared the shit out of him! "Yeah, that's right, keep your mouth shut you American piece of shit…" all that did was confuse him more! After an hour, we pulled up to a familiar restaurant… with a familiar girl eating dinner up front. I simply walk out of the cab after grabbing my suitcase, and the guy drove off – probably still scared!

As I walk up to Sam, I couldn't help but notice that she's alone. Where the fuck is Cass! I swear to God, when I find him I'm going to beat his ass! Setting my anger aside, I sit next to her and put my arm around her shoulder, making her jump.

"Sorry that took so long…" she smiles and lays her head on my shoulder, "Are you doing okay?"

"No… I just don't know what to do…" Okay, time to find something out. I let go of her and stand up.

"Okay, where's Cass?" she could obviously sense the seriousness in my voice.

"He's… back at the hotel… when I started to talk to him about it, he just brushed it off like it was nothing…" oh, all hell's about to break loose!

"Where's the hotel?" plain, short and simple. She handed me and small piece of paper with some words written down on it.

"There's the address… Asuka, can I come with you?" I was planning on it! Cass sure as hell better apologize or I'll kick his ass in front of her! "I just don't want to be alone…"

"Yeah, sure… you mind telling the cab where to go? I had one hell of a time with that on the way here!" was that a chuckle I heard? So Sam IS still in there!

"Yeah, sure…"

---

Half an Hour Later – 6:50 PM – In Front of the Hotel

"You've got to be kidding me… you guys booked a room HERE?" I looked up at the building and a rush of old memories came back to me, "Sam… you do remember what happened here, right?"

"Shinji losing his virginity? You two having sex? Dietlinde being conceived? You two keeping me and Cass up all night? Us tormenting you that morning? Yeah, I remember…" she smirks as she stares into nothingness… smartass!

"So, Samantha Simmons still does have a sense of humor! Good, maybe you just needed another mother to be with you!" she actually chuckled a little! Sam's coming back! "Now, where is the asshole?"

"Asuka, please don't call him that, he's just as scared as me," she just doesn't get it, does she?

"I don't care! Shinji didn't go running off, and he had Gendo to deal with! Not a single person at NERV is judging you; they already took it all out on us! Now stop defending him!" she paled slightly and lowered her head, "And stop getting depressed every time HE does something wrong!" after a moment of silence I take her wrist and rush into the hotel, "What room number are you?" please don't be in our old room… that's be nasty…

"Um… 702, I think," I continue to drag her down the halls until I reach room 702… I really hope Cass isn't is a good mood, cause I'm about to ruin it! Without knocking, I burst in – so like him to leave the door unlocked – and see him sleeping on the bed… that asshole!

"Wake your sorry ass up!" he instantly pops up and looks at me with wide eyes. I storm over to him and grab him by the collar with my right hand, "What the fuck is your problem! Sam is scared out of her mind and you in here SLEEPING! Did you know that she was eating dinner alone?" he tried to pull away, but I held him still.

"Did it cross your mind that I might be scared too?" oh, Sam already tried that and it didn't work!

"I don't give a fuck how you feel! SHE'S the one giving birth! Cass, you have no idea what goes through a pregnant woman's head! Do you know that I tried to kill myself not too long ago? What if that happened to Sam!" his eyes went wide with either fear or surprise.

"Asuka, I wouldn't do that!" I don't even bother to turn around.

"Have you thought about it?" she takes a few seconds before responding, and Cass nearly fainted when she did.

"… Yes…" truthfully, I think that all women do, it's just that most don't follow through with it.

"See that Cass?" I let go of him and simply glare down at him on the bed, "Ever since she said no to your proposal you don't even seem to care about her. If you have personal issues, get over them because your life isn't personal anymore, you have a child. Do you understand that? You brought a life into this world, now deal with it," he looks down in – what seems like – depression.

"Asuka… I need to talk with you… alone," she has her depressed voice on… again…

"Yeah, sure," we walk out into the hallway and she hangs her head, "If you're about to defend him, don't bother."

"Not that… Take Cass back with you… I'm not leaving Miami," ugh, not this again!

"Sam, I know that your home is here, but you belong in Japan. You've set your place there, how can you just up and leave? Running away won't solve anything, it'll just make everything worse" she hangs her head and closes her eyes.

"I know but… I just don't know what else to do… ever since I said no to Cass my life has gone to hell…" damn the day that he proposed… "Maybe I should just say yes, it might fix all of this…"

"Enough! If you don't want to marry him then you don't have to! Both of you are being ridiculous!" I begin to storm out of the hallway. I've had enough of this; she just called me to sort out HER problems! I came as a shoulder to lean on, not someone to take her problems away!

"Asuka, I'm sorry, please don't leave!" I don't care right now!

"Listen, I have enough stress going on in my life, I don't need this! I thought that you wanted guidance, but you just want me to solve your problems with Cass! Do that on your own time!" in case she can't tell, I'm royally pissed off!

"I do need your help!" I stop in my tracks and turn around. She took a few seconds of silence before responding, "I'm… afraid… what if I'm not a good mother?" okay, now that's actually a legitimate excuse.

"You know, I didn't think I would be either, but I'm fine and so is Dietlinde. Trust me, you'll do fine…" I walk up and put my hand on her shoulder, "Now come back with me, please Sam," she lets out a smile and a small tear forms in her eye.

"Thanks… but no… Miguel wants me to stay, he said that he misses me… and I miss him… I'm staying," well, looks like my work is… wait, WHAT!

"Well… that's your choice, but keep in mind that you'll always have a home at NERV, okay?" she nods, still smiling.

"Thanks Asuka…" she wraps her arms around me and hugs me tight, "I'll miss you… tell Shinji I said sorry," feeling slightly awkward, I hug her back.

"Sure…" just then, Cass rolls out in his wheel chair with his bags packed… fuck… I let go of Sam and glare down at Cass, "You're just going to leave? No talk? Nothing? I doubt that you're welcome at NERV after what you've pulled," he gives me the same glare.

"I'm not even going with you, so get over it," then where the hell is he going? "I'm going back to Germany; at least I was respected there. I'm sorry Sam, but I'm leaving, I just can't deal with this anymore. I'll send a couple hundred a month to support the baby if you keep it," he rolls down the hallway… oh hell no!

"You son of a bitch!" I whip him around, grab him by the shirt and slam him against the wall, "If you leave Sam with this baby I swear to God I'll make your life a living hell! SHE'S not the only parent here! You're equally responsible!" he paled and went wide eyed at my response, "If you think for even one second that I'll allow you to treat her like that then you're fucking crazy!" he got that look in his eye again… yeah, like he's going to take on me!

"ASUKA! Put him down!" after seeing Sam's face, I let Cass fall to the floor, "If he wants to leave me that badly, then let him, I-" she was cut off by the 'man' on the floor.

"I don't want to leave you! I just… forget it… listen, I'm going back to Japan, I just need to sort some things out… I'll be back Sam, I promise…" how she could believe him, I'll never know.

A/N- Yeah, a little OOC, sorry about that, I've been out of the loop lately. So yeah, Sam AND Cass are freaking out (Cass even more now that Asuka's pissed at him!) Anyway, a lot of things can happen now, huh? Any ideas? We'll just see… check out the next chapter; Shinji Opens Up, until then, keep on keepin' on!


	116. Shinji Opens Up

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

A/N- This chapter was proof-read by Frost-Eva-04.

**A/A/N- Okay, a lot of you have been asking me about The Effects Of Puberty lately, and I have an answer. I will be picking it up, but only after I'm done with this fic (which is extremely soon). It won't be a traditional story though; you know how a few shows have different plots in each episode (in this case, chapter) and rarely relate to each other? It'll be like that. So, DDK has deleted 'his' fic, and I'll be picking it up soon. See ya then!**

Chapter 116: Shinji Opens Up

Shinji/Asuka's Room – 10:00 PM

"It's too quite around here…" I lay on my bed staring up at the ceiling, finding it impossible to get to sleep, "No Asuka, no Sam, not even Cass…" I let out a soft sigh, "I really need a hobby…" up until two hours ago, I was just playing with Dietlinde on the sofa, but then I had to put her to bed. I have to admit, sleeping alone is weird now… hell, even being ALONE is weird!

I wonder how Asuka is doing down there… hell, how's Sam? She's the one that needed help! Hopefully Asuka didn't get TOO mad at Cass… what am I thinking? She probably kicked his ass from Miami to here…

"Shinji? Can I see you in my office please? I need to speak with you about Asuka," okay, now that didn't sound too good!

"Yeah, I'll be right up," I look at Dietlinde's crib… please don't wake up! Thankfully, she kept quiet – thank God! When she wakes up it's hard to get her back to sleep! After checking to see if Dietlinde's okay, I leave the room and make my way down to Akagi's office. I never get tired of seeing Dietlinde sleep; no matter what; she always sleeps clutching that bear of hers. It's amazing how much she took after her mother, it's getting to the point that even her movements remind me of Asuka; even how she holds herself. Just as I grasp the door handle, I hear a faint sound, growing fast…

"Mmmmm!" damn it… I walk back to Dietlinde's crib and pick her up while she whines.

"It's okay Dietlinde, it was just Akagi… damn her…" I mutter that last part under my breath. With Dietlinde on the edge of crying, I walk down the hall and into Akagi's office. By the time I was there, Dietlinde had calmed down, but she was wide-awake… I'm going to have one hell of a time getting her back to sleep… I better make some coffee…

"Oh, hey Shinji, have a seat," cradling Dietlinde in my arms, I take my seat in front of her desk. She takes off her small oval glasses and smiles at me, "So, I bet you're pretty lonely, huh? All you got is Dietlinde, and she can't even talk to you!" well… she can say my name!

"She almost can!" she raised an eyebrow, "Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you, she said her first word the other day. She called me 'daddy'."

"Wow! She's early!" she cleared her throat and lost the smile… ah crap… "Back on topic, Shinji. We have a small problem with the Evas here. NERV is running low on funds lately, and we can't afford to support the Evas anymore. Now, of course, we need to keep at least two so if we have a national crisis we can at least defend ourselves. So what I'm asking of you is; which ones are we going to keep?" ah crap… I'm sure that I'll be bitched at no matter which two I pick…

"Oh… wow… well, which do you recommend?" she flipped through a few papers before responding.

"Well, I think we should keep Units 01 and 02, then keep the specs for Unit 07 just in case," might as well follow the expert!

"Yeah, I agree. Whatever you think is best goes, I'm giving you full authority when it comes to this," she sets down the clipboard and smiles at me, leaning her head on her hand… okay, kinda weird for her!

"You're so different Shinji! Remember when I first met you? You were such a scrawny little boy, and now you're this strong, confident man – in charge of NERV no less!" Dietlinde smiles at Akagi, but she fails to notice.

"Thanks… I think…" she lets out a small chuckle, "You know, you've changed a little too…"

"Oh yes? How so?" time for a little embarrassment!

"Well, dating my father for one…" she grows bright red and laughs nervously, "Yes, I knew about you two, and may I say – ew!"

"Hey, your father was quite the romantic, whether you saw it or not. I remember one night when he-" okay! Time to cut this off!

"Enough! I'd rather not hear about my father's sex life!" now she's just laughing fully… oh real nice Shinji, try and get that out of your head now! "Okay, back on subject. What will we be doing with the other units? Just tearing them apart?"

"Well, the armor will most likely be used to make other military weapons, but – as you know – and Eva is a living thing, so to speak. The actual 'body' will be killed and disposed of. It should be done pretty quickly, the country wants these Evas gone NOW," oh yeah, that'll get me to sleep tonight…

"Okay, whatever needs to be done…" she jots a few things on her clipboard before looking up at me.

"You okay Shinji?" might as well just say it…

"Yeah… I've been meaning to talk to you about something for awhile now," she raises and eyebrow, asking me what, "You've done so much for both of us in the past years, I just wanted to say thanks for everything," jeez, I sound like a bad soap opera…

"You don't need to thank me! I help you guys out because I just want to see you two happy – which worked out quite nicely I might add!" this might be easier then I thought!

"But still, thanks… how's your new house treating you?" no, I'm not trying to change the subject, not at all!

"Pretty good actually, I like all the extra space. Aren't you and Asuka moving in pretty soon yourselves?" yeah, we will, that is if she isn't put in prison for killing Cass!

"Yeah, in two days actually. It's about time we got our own place!" just then, the room was filled with the sound of Akagi's phone ringing.

"Sorry, hold on," she picks up the phone and recites the normal welcome, "Asuka? Are you okay? What's wrong?" now, why didn't I like the sound of that? "Oh… okay… I'll book a flight back to Japan for you, I'll call you when it's done… yeah, hold on, he's right here," she holds out the phone to me, "She wants to speak with you, she sounds really upset," damn it… I take the phone and I hear a slight whimpering on the other line.

"Asuka? Are you okay?"

"Yeah… I'm fine… it's Sam and Cass… both of them are just so fucking stubborn!" Dietlinde perks up slightly to the sound of her mother's voice through the phone.

"Just calm down, tell me what happened," she takes a deep breath.

"Sam is refusing to come back and Cass is threatening to go back to Germany. I don't want to see this baby only have one parent Shinji!" damn, this is really upsetting her… "I'm coming home, and Cass is coming too. I tried to get him to stay, but he's refusing to… I think that Sam just needs some time to think alone…"

"Okay, I'll meet you at the airport, just call me when you're getting close to Japan, okay?"

"Okay… love you… see you soon…"

"I love you too, bye," after hanging up the phone, I look at Akagi with that same worried look she has seen countless times before.

---

Three Days Later – 3:00 AM

"Asuka, will you PLEASE sit down? I know that you want to change this house around, but you're pregnant! That and you need some sleep!" not to mention me! I fall back onto a large leather chair we uncovered a few hours ago, which is now sitting in our room!

"Okay, okay, just hold on a little bit more, I want to finish rearranging our room," who would have thought that a four month pregnant woman would have so much energy! "Now, what do you think we should paint the room? I was thinking an earth tone… you?" okay! Time for bed!

"Asuka, let's just go to bed, even Dietlinde fell asleep…" I get up and fall forward onto our king-sized bed.

"Ugh… fine… I still think that our dresser would look better if we-" I grab her shoulders and pull her back onto the bed, making her laugh, "Shinji! Now what was that for?" she looked up at me from my stomach, where her head was delicately resting.

"You. Need. To. Re. Lax." She once again chuckles.

"Fine, let's go to bed…" she crawls under the sheets and I join her, after turning off the lamp on the nightstand, "Shame on you for keeping your wife up so late," hey!

"I wanted to go to bed at ten, you're the one that kept me up until three in the morning…" she makes her way to her favorite position in bed; head on my chest and leg swung around my waist.

"Uh huh, riiight… night Shinji…"

"Night Asuka," within ten minutes, as always, I find myself staring at the dimly lit ceiling. The move into this house was barely a move; it was more of a drive and walking in! I've barely seen Cass since we walked in; he just immediately took one of the rooms and hasn't made a sound since. I called up Sam yesterday, but the 'conversation' barely lasted two minutes. She didn't want to talk, let alone about coming home.

When Dietlinde first saw our new house her face lit up like I've never seen before. After awhile of her wanting to go into each room, Asuka let her just crawl around on her own – with her in our sight, of course. Her curious eyes eventually made themselves to her own room, where she is sleeping right now. It seems odd now that she's not in our room, but she had to get her own eventually.

"Hey Shinji?" she's still awake? "Mind if I ask you a question?"

"No, go ahead," she looks up at me with those beautiful blue eyes.

"Can you be in the delivery room when I'm giving birth this time? I didn't like being alone last time," actually, I was planning on asking her if I could be in this time.

"Of course, I'd love to… are you scared?" oh yeah, real smooth Shinji, get her scared before she even goes into labor!

"Well, yeah! It can't be as bad as last time though, Dietlinde HAD to have stretched something out… but honestly, it's a huge payoff in the end. Feeling our baby's breath on my neck is like heaven… but anyway, promise me that you'll be in the delivery room with me," didn't I already say yes?

"I promise, now let's get some sleep," she smiles and once again relaxes. I fall asleep soon enough, dreaming of our new life in this home.

---

5:00 AM – That Same Morning

"Hey Shinji? You up?" I open my eyes and was instantly blinded by the bright light on the ceiling.

"I… am now…" I cover my face with the pillow, "What time is it…?"

"Oh… um… I think it's about five… I wasn't too tired so I decided to get up and finish redecorating the house. This woman sucked when it came to that!" with a sigh I pull the covers up over my head.

"Wake me up in a few hours…" I knew it'd be impossible to get her to stop now, so I just gave in.

A/N- Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know, a short and filler chapter. Sorry, but I've barely had any free time lately. I promise, I'll make up for it in the next chapter: Delivery, and yes, it'll be a time jump in case you can't tell. Keep on keepin' on!


	117. Delivery

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Chapter 117: Delivery

A/N- This chapter was proof-read by Frost-Eva-04. Thanks for the help!

A/A/N- Yeah, well, I'm in a pretty good mood right now (at the time of me posting this chapter, I wrote it awhile ago). My high school just got their asses handed to them in our Bone Game (long story, ask me in a review if you want to know), and the ending score was 14 to 49… yeah, we lost! But, the good news is that marching band had one hell of a time! I actually got onto the field and 'party boy'ed the mascot (watch Jackass and you'll get it). Now, I told you that to tell you this; I'm going over my epilogue right now, and maybe I'll change a few things! You all might be a little happy when that comes around! Anyway, here's the moral of my short story – if in doubt, make an ass of yourself and everyone will get into a good mood. See ya'll later!

Asuka/Shinji's Room – Four Months Later – 7:00 PM

"Ugh… you know, Dietlinde never kicked as much as this…" ever since my sixth month in Asuka has been kicking, elbowing, punching, and God only knows what else. Aside from two broken ribs and a serious case of urinary discomfort, nothing new has happened. Cass has seemed to open up a little bit more, but he still won't talk about Sam. I call her every other day; mainly talking about how our day has been. She seems really happy back 'home', but I still think she should come home.

"It'll all be worth it though, you're almost done," Shinji continues to message my feet as I lay on the bed.

"Yeah, easy for you to say, you don't have to carry around this little devil… why does she have to be so hyper…?" this is SO my last baby! Just as I was starting to relax, I hear Dietlinde whining through the baby monitor Akagi gave us last week.

"I'll be right back," Shinji starts to get up, but so do I.

"No, I'll do it," using my fists against the bed to force myself to my feet, I struggle to get up, "I've barely seen Dietlinde today anyway…" he sits back down and I walk down the hall, Dietlinde whining getting louder as I do, "I'm coming… just hold on…" when I finally make it to her room, I see Dietlinde on her back with eyes clenched ready to cry. I lean into her crib and pick her up.

"M-Mommy…" she buries her face in my chest crying and I smile down on her.

"It's okay honey, shhh," she looked up at me with a quivering bottom lip and tears running down her face, "Are you hungry?" she slowly nods, "Okay, let's go grab something, we can feed your sister while we're there too!" come to think of it, I'm pretty hungry, "Hey Shinji? Why don't you start on dinner while I feed Dietlinde?"

"Okay, sure, what do you want?" I meet Shinji outside of our bedroom and we start to walk towards the kitchen.

"I really don't care, whatever you-" Shinji stops in his tracks – and frankly, so do I – when we see that Cass has cooked.

"Oh, hey guys, I was just finishing up!" is he high or something? He never cooks!

"Y-You… cooked…?" I swear, I damn near dropped Dietlinde! This dish smells familiar for some reason…

"Yeah, I hope you like your native food Asuka!" native? Wait a second… I know this dish!

"Those are Duesseldorfer potato mushrooms! I used to eat those all the time back when I was little!" he sets down all the plates and Shinji simply stares at the food, "You have to try this Shinji! They're amazing!" my smile instantly turns upside down when I realize something, "Ah crap… I gotta feed Dietlinde… can you put mine in the microwave Cass?"

"Don't worry about it, I'll feed her. You just enjoy!" why is he being so nice… wait… he's going to FEED Dietlinde?!

"Are… you sure? You've never fed a baby before…" I hand him Dietlinde and she looks up at him with a confused face.

"I think I can manage, thanks," he sets Dietlinde in her high-chair and slowly begins to spoon feed her. Wow… he's actually doing pretty good… and she's trusting him so much… that's new…

"As… uka… water…" I look over to see Shinji with a mouth full of the food and his face turning a nice shade of red… oh this is too much!

"Awww, my little Shinji can't handle a little spice?" he starts to sweat and soon falls back onto the floor, "Oh come on, it can't be that bad!" I take a bite and soon freeze up myself after forcing a swallow, "Cass… what spices did you use…?"

"Oh, I used this green stuff in the fridge. I couldn't read the label, it was all smeared, but I could read the word 'hot' on it!" for the love of God… please don't tell me he used what I think he used… I open the fridge and pick up the container he was talking about.

"Cass… call an ambulance…"

---

One Hour Later – Living Room

"Uhhhhhhh…" I grasp my stomach in pain both from Asuka kicking and the Wasabi taking it's toll, "How much of that crap did you use…?" Shinji's been passed out for a good hour now – he never did have any tolerance to spice.

"Um… about half a cup… I'm sooo sorry!"

"Apologize to Asuka… she's not liking the stuff either… how's Dietlinde?" he put her back in her crib after he finished feeding her.

"Yeah, she fell asleep awhile ago… can I do anything for you?" how about never cooking again? Ever?

"No, thanks… I'm just going to go to bed… tell Shinji to meet me in there when he gets up…" I struggle to the bedroom and fall back onto our bed. After turning off the light and getting under the covers, I find it impossible to get asleep due to the burning in my stomach. Eventually, I was able to get to sleep, but not after a couple hours of pain from Asuka!

---

10:00 AM – Asuka/Shinji's Room

"As… uka…" I wake up to Shinji mutter my name… of course, he could be dreaming of our baby… but that's aside from the fact! I wonder what time he came in last night, it had to be pretty late because I was up for quite awhile.

"Uh…" great… looks like Asuka is up too and already kicking… and pushing on my bladder damnit! After rushing into the bathroom for my bladder and a slight case of morning sickness – damnit I hate that part – I head out into the living room to sit and watch some TV. Of course, with my luck, the doorbell was ringing and there wasn't anyone but me to get it. At first, I debated just ignoring it, but something drove me to answer it… ten minutes later after the person didn't stop ringing.

"I'm coming damnit!" I force myself to my feet and walk over to the door. I swear to God, if this is some door-to-door salesman I'm going to kill him… when I open the door I was met with a very familiar face… and a very new, small face, "Cass… get down here… CASS!"

"Jeez Asuka, you don't need to yell like that, you're going to wake up Blaze," she chuckles slightly, "Um… mind if I come in? I've had a long day… and one hell of a week!" how the hell is she here…?

"Yeah… sure…" she walks in and somehow immediately finds a chair and sits down, "How did… but you… and the… what the hell?!"

"Can't get your words out, eh? Well, long story short, I delivered a few weeks early, but Blaze is okay. After I gave birth, I was in the hospital for a few days before they let me go. After that, I flew back here… as for why… even I couldn't tell you that. I didn't want to come back, but something made me…" just then, Cass walked in due to my yelling.

"What's all the yelling about? I already apologized about… Sam?!" I swear, his eyes damn near pop out of his head.

"Aren't you forgetting someone?" Sam 'looks' down at her baby.

"I… Is that…?" Sam slowly nods.

"This is your son," Cass slowly makes his way towards Sam and his sleeping child. With more skill then anyone gave him credit for, he picked Blaze up, "He was born a week ago, so be gentle."

"Yeah…" a small tear forms in his eye and soon falls onto Blaze's light blue draw-string gown, "Are… you okay? How did your delivery go?"

"Well, because I was so small, Blaze just decided he was coming out early! But the actual delivery… wow… nothing can be compared to that," tell me about it…

"I'm so sorry Sam…" she perked up, "I should have been there… I should have been there to help you through it… I wasn't there for his birth… I missed it… I meant to go back to Miami but…" he better not be trying to make up excuses! Apologizing is one thing, but don't make up some lie!

"Don't worry about it. I thought about calling you, but I didn't want to put you through that stress," ouch… that had to hurt…

"Hold on… I gotta go wake up Shinji…" he has to see this! I hurry into our room and shove at his shoulder, "Shinji, wake up!"

"Asuka…? Let me sleep a little more… ten more minutes…"

"Sam's back!" his eyes pop open and he leaps out of bed, rushing into the living room, "Jeez… he didn't even rush that much when I gave birth…" obviously going slower then him, I follow into the living room. When I get there, I see him hugging a now standing Sam.

"I haven't seen you in so long!" Sam was laughing her ass off by now.

"Yeah, nice to be back… can you let me go now? I'm still sore from the delivery…" he lets her go and laughs nervously.

"Sorry about that…" by now, Blaze has woken up and is staring up at Cass with a very confused face. His bright green eyes were examining his father closely, almost as if he knew who Cass was. With Blaze now awake, his features are more noticeable. He's defiantly Cass's baby! His short red hair was exactly the shade of Cass's, and his eyes were a beautiful shade of green.

"Amazing, isn't it?" I break the silence with a simple comment, "To hold your baby in your arms? That's probably the best feeling a parent could ever experience," Cass slowly nods.

"Ah crap… I completely forgot all of Blaze's stuff! I brought his clothes but I forgot his crib… damnit… I need to go call Miguel and have him send it over," Sam starts to get up, but Shinji guides her back down.

"Don't worry about it, I'll go get a crib. Do you need anything else?" wow… that was pretty nice of Shinji… of course, he IS my husband!

"Thanks, and no, that's it. He's still breast feeding… how long do I breast feed for though?"

"Well, I kinda screwed up with Dietlinde, but Akagi said for about a year. You start with baby food at three months," Sam damn near faints… I can see why though! Breast feeding sucks!

"Aw damnit! It hurts though!" she's not exaggerating, it really does. Hell, I didn't wear a bra for the first month because of that fact!

"I know… at least you won't be in it alone, I'm due in a little over a week," Akagi says a month, but I've been going through nesting lately and all mothers say that nesting happens about a week before delivery.

"So, I'll quick run out and grab a crib, just let me go get changed," Shinji walks back into our room, obviously to get dressed.

"Okay! I think that mommy and daddy need to catch up on a few things, so why don't I take you and give you a quick bath?" I casually take Blaze, giving Sam and Cass a hint to sit down and talk, "I'll be in the downstairs bathroom if either of you need me!" the curious young child was once again swooped into another person's arms.

"Mmmmm…" Blaze began to simply make sounds – not whining, I think he was just exploring his own body.

"You know, I was planning on Asuka using the infant bather first, but you beat her to it!" Ritsuko gave us this tub-looking thing that sits in our normal tub, but it's made for babies so we won't have to bath them in the sink like we did with Dietlinde… let's just use Blaze as a test subject, eh?

Within a few minutes, I had the bath running and Blaze stripped and in the infant tub. Blaze seems like a fairly calm baby compared to most, he isn't struggling at all. Seems like Sam already has him in check!

"Ugh…" damnit Asuka, can't you keep still for at least a few minutes?

---

Ten Minutes Later

"Okay… so maybe you're more of a handful then I gave you credit for…" okay, I'm SO glad I didn't have a boy! First, he began to pee with me over him… yeah, that didn't turn out too good. Then he felt that he had to empty his bowls… how fun! Seriously, I've bathed this kid three times now, next time he'll be doing it! "Okay, let's get you out to mommy and daddy," I pick him up after dressing him and walk back into the living room to see a half heart warming, half discussing sight; Sam sitting on Cass's lap making out with him… a lot. I clear my throat and the both pull back.

"Asuka! Y-You're done!" Cass turns bright red as he speaks.

"Yeah, but apparently you two aren't… how about you go into your room next time, eh?" I hand Blaze to Cass with a smile and begin to walk into the bathroom, "Tell Shinji that I'm in the bath when he gets back, I need to relax a little," I close the door behind me and turn on the facet, "I haven't taken a nice relaxing bath in God only knows how long…" at this stage of the pregnancy, it's always hard to even get my shirt off, so by the time I was completely nude, the tub was absolutely full. With a slight bit of pain, I reach over and turn off the water, then lower myself in the hot water, "Mmmmm…" this felt amazing! Letting myself be consumed by the seemingly godly fluid, I lay my head back and relax.

---

Ten Minutes Later

I realized that I would need help getting out of the tub quite awhile ago, so I really hope Shinji was home! The water was starting to get cold… nothing's worse then a cold bath… especially for me, because last time I took a cold shower Asuka made me pay for it!

"Hey Shinji? You there?" this wasn't too well planned on my part… "Anyone? Hello?" I start to raise my voice, but I get the feeling that no one is even in the area. Damnit… "COME ON!" someone HAD to have heard that!

---

Five Minutes Later

"Apparently not…" I lay my head back and close my eyes, and soon feel an extremely familiar feeling, "Oh my God… SHINJI! Shinji, get in here! Anyone! Please help!" I struggle to get out myself, but there's just no way, "Seriously, come on! My water just broke! Someone get in here NOW!" damnit! "Please…" I feel tears start to run down my face, "I can't do this alone… ShinjIII!!" I'm sobbing like a baby by now. I really can't do this alone… I'm scared…

"Asuka? Are you okay?" I hear Cass's voice through the closed door… thank God!

"No! I-I mean… yeah, just get Shinji! Hurry!" why did it have to be HIM?

"I can't, he's still out. He called a few minutes ago, he said that-" I really don't care right now!

"Just get in here! My water just broke and I can't get out of the tub!" I'm just recently getting over him seeing my butt let alone everything! "Anytime now Cass! Just come in damnit!" he bursts in the door with a deep blush on, "Just help me out of here!" I hold up my arm and he pulls me out of the tub quicker then I expected, making me dizzy from getting up too fast.

"D-Do you need help g-getting dressed…?" he was turned around and staring straight ahead. At any other time, I would have laughed, but I just had my first contraction and that wasn't exactly something to laugh about.

"No… just go get the car started, I'll meet you out there…" he runs off to the van and I struggle into a shirt and underwear. Yes, that's all I'm going to wear because they strip me and put me in a hospital gown anyway! Rushing through the house – what would be considered rushing for me – I eventually get outside to see Cass in a running van.

"Cass, hurry," I climb into the van, "I'm starting to get contractions…" I feel a hand on my shoulder and I nearly jump out of my skin.

"Shinji said that he'll met you at the hospital," why didn't he just come home? The hospital is WAY farther away them the house! "He told me to tell you that he's okay, it was just a concussion," okay, what the hell?!

"What the fuck are you talking about?!" I whip around to look at Sam and was hit with another contraction, "UGH!"

"You didn't know? Cass, I told you to tell her!" she slaps his shoulder quite hard.

"Well excuse me if I felt a little rushed! I'm doing eighty in a residential as it is!" Sam lets out a long sigh.

"Okay, sorry I have to be the one to tell you this Asuka, Shinji was in a car accident on the way over here. Some teenager was going for a joy ride and hit him head on. Shinji was knocked out and ended up with a sprain in his neck, but apparently he also got a concussion. He's fine though, just a little shaken up," okay REALLY not what I needed right now!

"O-Okay… as long as he's okay…" I feel my pulse racing and my head pounding, "Please hurry Cass… this isn't going to take long…" seriously… this is going to be a short as fuck delivery…

"We're still a good ten minutes from the hospital, sorry," Jesus, with the speed he's going I'm surprised we're not there yet! "Just… try and relax…" both me and Sam look at him with the 'you're an idiot' face.

"You're an idiot," we both say in unison.

---

Hospital – Five Minutes Later

"Jeez Asuka, you didn't need to punch that woman in the chest," I was being rolled down a long hall by some nurse with Sam and Cass at my sides.

"I'm going into labor! She told me to get to the back of the line! Fuck that!"

"But she was at least eighty and blind!" like I give a fuck! She shouldn't speak to people that can still breed like that!

"Okay miss, enough yelling, you're just going to stress the baby," I bite my tongue, holding back a smart-ass comment. We finally get into a room and I was quickly set up on a bed with my legs raised and spread.

"Cass, quit staring!" he turns around quickly in a blush.

"Asuka?" Shinji comes rushing into the room… damn, he got screwed up! His neck was in a thick foam brace and he had stitches going across the upper right side of his head. Not too long, but it was noticeable.

"About time! Okay, Sam and Cass, thanks for the help but please leave," without a word they rush out of the room, "Damn Shinji…" I smile and grab his hand, "You just had to end up in the hospital along with… me…" my eyes shoot wide open, "SHIT! We forgot Dietlinde! Son of a bitch! Shinji, tell Cass to go back home and watch after Dietlinde, but to NOT bring her here!"

"Okay, I'll be right back," he seemed calm for the circumstances! I can't believe we forgot Dietlinde! Shinji comes rushing back into the room just as I have another contraction, "He went back, don't worry about her," he once again grabs my hand and smiles down on me, "You'll do fine."

---

Six Hours Into Delivery – 1:45 AM

"AHHH!!!" I push once again, and I'm damn near about to pass out. My clothes are drenched in sweat and my head feels like it's about to explode.

"Come on Asuka, you're almost done, one more push," squeezing his hand hard one last time, I push as hard as I possibly could and I feel an enormous pressure release from my body. For a couple of seconds, I didn't hear anything, which made my heart sink. Where's the crying? Where's my baby?

"A-As… uka…" I close my eyes and mutter her name. After a quick slapping noise, the sound of a little girl's crying echoes through the room. I let out a weak smile and laugh slightly, "That's… my baby…" closing my eyes, I try hard to catch my breath.

"You did great Asuka," I feel Shinji peck my forehead, "You can relax now, we'll take it from here," it's not even that I fall asleep, I just flat pass out after Shinji was done talking. I had absolutely zero energy; I don't know how I even managed to breath! It was odd though, I knew that I couldn't control my body, but I was completely aware of everything around me. I was being taken to yet another room, and I somehow knew that Shinji was at my side the entire time. In a couple of hours, I finally gain the energy to open my eyes to see Shinji still holding my hand and staring at a live TV on mute.

"I did great, huh?" he looks over at me with a smile. I'm sure that I looked like crap at this point with my half closed eyes and pale face, but I really didn't care. I was happy to see my husband, and that was all that mattered.

"You did amazing. You want to go see Asuka?" I give a weak nod and he lifts me onto a wheelchair, pushing me down that familiar hall once again.

"I can't believe that she was premature too… I wonder what caused that…"

"It doesn't matter, she's fine and is able to support herself," we finally get to the window overlooking all the recently born babies – which was only about three for some reason. Being the only girl in the room, she was easy to pick out.

"Red hair…"

"Yep, she's another one of yours!" though she did have red hair, she defiantly had Shinji's facial features. Her eyes could not have possibly been more like his! At least I don't have another clone of myself… not that it would be a bad thing of course!

"Mommy!" my head whips to the side to see Cass holding a smiling Dietlinde with Sam next to him. Dietlinde had her arms outstretched to me with the biggest smile I've ever seen on her. I smile back at her as Cass hands me my first-born.

"Hey honey… mommy's been through hell today, you know that?" she closes her smiling eyes and inhales my scent.

"Cass, I told you not to-"

"No, don't worry about it, I needed to see her. Thanks Cass…" I kiss Dietlinde on the forehead with a smile, "You have a little sister now Dietlinde… you're going to have to take care of her…" soon enough, Dietlinde was asleep in my arms, never losing her smile.

---

The Next Day – 6:00 PM

I've been asleep most of the day, just trying to make up for my recently lost energy. I haven't been able to hold my baby as of yet because she needed her own sleep, but we're getting ready to go home right now. Cass took Dietlinde back home last night, a hospital is no place for a baby like her – she's spent too much time in it as it is. Apparently she never woke up, so that's an up-side.

"Okay, I think we have everything together… aside from our new baby!" Shinji wraps his arm around my shoulders as we walk down the gloomy hall.

"Yeah… I've been dying to hold her all day!" when we finally get to the fish bowl like room, I see that Asuka was awake a crying alone. Smiling slightly, I walk into the room alone and – without a word – pick her tiny body up. She instantly stops her crying and looks up at me with teary, curious eyes, "Hi honey… welcome to the world…" I think that just hearing my heart beat through my shirt calmed her, because within about five minutes in that room, she fell asleep. I walk out of the room to see Shinji crying with a small smile on.

"You two are so beautiful…" I walk over and peck him on the cheek.

"Let's go home Shinji," he once again wraps his arm around me as we walk out of the hospital. Cass parked under an over-hang so that Asuka wouldn't be irritated by the light. When we get into the car, I take the back seat for myself while Shinji sits up front with Cass. The entire way home I was gently stroking Asuka's short red hair, only sending her into a deeper sleep.

"She's beautiful you two," Cass whispers above the humming of the car.

"Thanks…" after about half an hour, we end up back at the house – which had a crib already set up by Cass specifically for Asuka. I set her in right away and sit next to her crib along side Shinji. Dietlinde's crib was perpendicular to Asuka's, both meeting each other at the head. Both of our children were happily asleep – both of them completely oblivious to the world around them. Neither even realized that they had a sister, let alone what was in store for them.

"Dietlinde Ikari…"

"Asuka Ikari…" we both mutter our children's names. We're a family now, and nothing will ever change that.

A/N- Ah… nothing like a heart warming chapter to calm the soul… gotta love the delivery chapters, eh? Well, not much to say here at all aside from Dietlinde better get used to not having the kind of attention she's used to… eh, she'll be fine! (hopefully) Next chapter will be yet another heart-warmer, so be ready for some tears, I promise! Check out the next chapter… you know what? I'm not gonna say the chapter name cuz it's kind of a spoiler! Keep on keepin' on!

A/A/N- Okay, check out the forum on this story, that's all I gotta say. Forget the first topic, but look at the second one.


	118. Nothing Will Ever Change That

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Chapter 118: Nothing Will Ever Change That

A/N – I know that this chapter should be in Shinji's point of view, but it kinda HAD to be in Asuka's. I tried to add a chapter before this one as a filler, but it only turned out to be a page and a half. If I would have stretched it out anymore it would have been stupid. Sorry.

Baby Room – 1:00 PM – The Next Day

"You think we should 'introduce' Asuka and Dietlinde?" up to now, they haven't even seen each other. Dietlinde was woken up last night by Asuka crying, but that's about all the exposure they've had.

"Yeah… do you think they're ready? I mean… I don't know, whatever you think is best…" that is so like him!

"Well, both of them are awake, and since that's kinda rare, I think we should… might as well try it, what's the worse that could happen?" I reach down into Asuka's crib and pick her up gently. Handling a baby this small again is odd, I have to admit. I didn't know that Dietlinde grew so much in the past year! "Here we go…" with Dietlinde watching my every move, I slowly lower Asuka into Dietlinde's crib. At first, they just stared at each other – with Asuka lying down and Dietlinde sitting up by herself – with the cutest confused faces.

"Um… what now…?" just as Shinji said that, Dietlinde began to slowly reach over to her sister, almost as if to examine her.

"Be gentle honey," she looked up at me, then back to her sibling. When Dietlinde's hand made contact with Asuka's forehead, Asuka seemed to perk up quite a bit for someone her age. Dietlinde began to gently stroke Asuka's hair… did she get that from me? "That's your sister…" Dietlinde once again looked up at me with a confused face.

"I think she's handling it pretty well…" Shinji whispered in my ear.

"Yeah, maybe this won't be as hard as we-" just then, Asuka began to cry… ah damnit! They were doing so good too! It's not that Dietlinde did anything wrong, I think that seeing her sister was just too much excitement for her. Since Asuka was crying, that of course set off Dietlinde… ah crap…

"You get Asuka and I'll get Dietlinde…" Shinji reaches in and picks up Dietlinde, then continues to walk out of the room to calm her down. I of course pick up Asuka, who's cry is MUCH higher then Dietlinde's… seriously, it's like needles in my ears!

"Shhh, it's okay Asuka," I begin to slowly rock her back and forth… okay, I'm an idiot! I know why she's crying! She's only eaten once since she's been home! Well, there's some good and bad news; good news that she's not afraid of Dietlinde and bad news for me… "At least you don't have teeth yet…" a few minutes later, she was calmly suckling and her tears had gone away. From the sound of it, Dietlinde had also stopped crying… that didn't take too long! About five minutes later, Shinji walks back into the room with Dietlinde – face still red from crying.

"Was that why she was crying? She was hungry?" I pull Asuka away and button up my shirt.

"Yeah, apparently," slowly, I set Asuka back into her crib, "I wish we would have known that before, this would have been WAY easier!" I get up and peck Shinji on the lips, "How about we go watch some TV? They could use some time alone anyway," he wraps his arm around my hips as we walk back into the living room.

"So, tell me, was it ANY easier this time around?" we fall back onto the sofa and turn on the TV, though neither of us watched it.

"Oh HELL NO! If anything, this one was worse because I started the contractions at home!" he lets out a little chuckle, "Oh yeah, you wouldn't be laughing if you had to do it!"

"Hey, I give you credit at every turn! I think that it's amazing that you go through that!" that's better… "Do… you hear a car pulling up outside?" why would that matter?

"Yeah, an… oh crap!" we both rush towards the door, trying to beat whoever was there to the doorbell, "Don't ring the doorbell, don't ring the doorbell…" I whip open the door to see Ritsuko with her finger on the button, "Akagi!"

"Oh, hi Asuka!" I put my finger over my lips, telling her to shut the hell up, "Oh… sorry… can I come in?" I open the door and welcome her in, "I heard that you gave birth a couple days ago, I came as soon as I could. Sorry I wasn't there for the delivery, but my car was in for repair and I was stuck at my house. How'd it go?" out of instinct, we walk towards the baby room.

"Pretty good," liar, "It wasn't that bad," liar, "It was actually a cake walk compared to Dietlinde!" liar.

"Oh really? Glad to hear it! Can I see the little darling?" did Akagi just say 'little darling'? Okay, she just proved how old she is! I may call my babies honey, but I never said anything corny like that!

"Sure, I just got done feeding her," I guide her to the edge of Asuka's crib and look down at the semi-active baby, "Any idea why she was born prematurely? I mean, is there something wrong with my body? Both of my babies have turned out premature…"

"I don't think that one's body has anything to do with it… what were you doing when your water broke?"

"Nothing really, I was just taking a bath," Akagi starts to chuckle, "What?"

"There's your problem, that can send a woman into labor easily," you've got to be friggen kidding me! I mean, I know that I would have had to give birth eventually, but still! I would have liked to wait a little!

"Ah damnit… well, as long as Asuka's okay…" I reach in and gently stroke her hair, "She's beautiful, isn't she?"

"Yeah…"

"Mommy!" I look over at Dietlinde to see her with out-stretched arms towards me and a look of what seemed to be anger that I've never seen in her before, "Up!" what's gotten into her? She's never been so demanding!  
"Okay Dietlinde," I reach in and pick up my first-born. She turns her head towards Asuka's crib and – from what it looked like – glared at her sister… okay, this was getting odd…

"Wow… looks like there's already some sibling rivalry…" so she saw it too…

"Dietlinde," I turn her head, making her look up at me, "Are you angry at Asuka?" her eyes drift towards the floor and the look of anger fails to leave her face, "Listen honey, I will always love you, you'll just have to share me with your sister," she looks back up at me and lets out what seems to be a smile, "There's my Dietlinde…" after pecking her on the forehead, I lower her back into her crib and guide Akagi back out of the room and into the living room, where Shinji was sitting on the chair.

"You're pretty good with her… anyway, where's Cass? I needed to speak with him about something," okay, what'd he break now?

"He's out with Sam and Blaze shopping for a few supplies," she raises an eyebrow in confusion… oh yeah, she doesn't know yet! "Well, long story short, Sam came back with Cass's baby – named Blaze. They're back together now though," she closed her eyes and let out a small chuckle.

"Wow… just… wow… you know, Sam just got calling me a little while back asking all about delivery…" she once again laughs.

"Oh was she? Hm… I think I might talk to her about that! In the mean time, can I get something for you? Some food maybe?" she sits down on a chair and I sit next to Shinji on the sofa.

"No, it's okay, but thanks. So, I've been meaning to ask you two about something…" she smirks a little before she speaks, "Are you… are you two aware of the fact that we're short one angel?" now what the hell is she talking about?

"Huh? Short one angel?" I see Shinji go pale, so apparently he got it… I'm still in the dark though!

"Yeah, I was going over a few artifacts out of boredom, and I came across something that perked my interest about the angels. It described each of them in exact detail and – after a few more hours of studying them – I found that each angel has a meaning related to the rest of the world. That's another story though; my point is that there's one more angel then what we thought… and I have a theory…" her face began to droop.

"And that is…?" I was still the only one involved in this conversation.

"The last angel was supposed to reflect the kindness in humans; which is quite odd seeing as the rest of the angels were negative emotions or actions. The description was extremely vague, but I did manage to gather that it 'would be born of miraculous circumstances'. The physical description was also vague, but it did say that she – and for once it actually gave a gender, it's a she – would mature extremely quickly… think of who that reminds you of," what is this, twenty questions?

"I'd rather not play a guessing game right now Ritsuko…" Shinji finally speaks up.

"Don't get upset with me, but I believe that it's Dietlinde. She was crawling actually smiling at what, less then a month old? Don't you find that the least bit odd? And, 'born of miraculous circumstances'… she was born extremely prematurely, to the point of most babies dying, and lasted through her first night… which, may I point out she only had a five percent chance of doing," you've got to be fucking kidding me with this!

"Okay, joke's over Rits," I glare at her slightly.

"I'm not joking here! I mean, show me one counterexample to my theory!" I launch up and glare down at her.

"For one, she's a fucking human being, not some monster! Dietlinde is our daughter, not what you say she is!" Ritsuko stands up to meet me at eye level and gives me back the same glare.

"You know damn well that I love that child, but if she's an angel-"

"You'll do what?" Shinji cuts in with his pale face. Ritsuko's face droops even more – if that's possible.

"We'll have to… I don't know…" did she almost say what I think she said?

"Akagi…? What were you about to say…?" I clench my hand into a fist as I talk and I feel my teeth grinding, "What the fuck were you about to say?" I swear to God, I'm about two seconds away from tacking her.

"We'll… have to deal with her…" I couldn't help it, I really couldn't, "Asuka! Calm down!" Shinji grabs my shoulders to keep me from attacking her again. I glare down at her, now on the floor.

"You ever say something like that again and I swear to God I'll fucking kill you!" I try to thrash away from Shinji, but he had a tight grip on my shoulders, "She's our fucking child! I wouldn't care if she's an angel or not!"

"Ritsuko, I recommend that you leave… now…" Shinji mutters through my yelling and Asuka crying. Akagi struggles to her feet and races out of the house, "Asuka, you need to calm down…"

"How the fuck can I calm down?! She was just talking about killing our baby Shinji!" she forces me to sit down on the sofa and looks down at me.

"I understand your frustration, but you need to calm down, you're just upsetting Asuka at this point," why the hell was he being so calm?

"Okay…" I take a deep breath, "You go ahead and calm down Asuka… I need to sit here for a second…" without a word, he walks into the baby room. How the hell could she say something like that? Even if Dietlinde WAS and angel, I wouldn't care! "Shinji…"

"Yeah?" the crying isn't as harsh, but still present.

"I'm going down to NERV for a little bit, I want to see these so called artifacts," I get up and pick up my keys, "Just watch after Dietlinde and Asuka," before he could respond, I was outside and walking towards the car, "She better be able to show me these artifacts…" why was Shinji so calm? I mean sure, he was trying to keep Asuka calm, but still! I start up the car and try to watch my speed – I did go a little over the speed limit though – as I go down the entwining streets.

"Two teens were shot today at a local high school due to gang rivalry. One boy – named Kensu-" I turn off the radio, not wanting to hear anymore bad news. After a few minutes, I pull into the parking lot of NERV.

"Now let's see if I can still find my way around here…" either out of pure luck or remembrance, I do end up finding Akagi's office, "Okay… I'm going to stay calm… I won't get upset…" promising myself something that I know I'll easily beak, I open the door to see her at her desk silently working on something, "Ritsuko," her head pops up.

"Asuka!" her leaps to her feet, "I don't want to have to call security, but I will if I have to," okay, maybe I did lose my temper…

"I'm sorry for hitting you, okay? You still had no right to say that though," with a sigh, she sits back down, "Can I sit down?" sure don't offer it to me! I take my seat in front of her desk to see what looked like open scrolls on her desk.

"I just have the well-being of the country in mind. I was just about to analyze some of her old blood from when she was born… do you want to stay around for the test results?" so she really did believe this…

"Okay… just hurry up…" she walks out of the room with a small clipboard, signaling me to stay put, "There' no way Dietlinde's an angel… there's just no way…" how can I be debating this? She was MY baby! I'm a human! "It's impossible… she's just… such a sweet baby…" I feel my eyes start to water up, "Don't fucking cry… Akagi's wrong… she has to be…"

---

Ten Minutes Later – Same Place

"Asuka?" I turn my head to see Shinji in the doorway. The past ten minutes have been spent silently crying waiting for Akagi to come back with the 'results'. Yes, this crying may be my messed up hormones still fixing themselves, but I really couldn't hold back my tears, "Are you okay?" I sits next to me and wraps his arms around my shoulders.

"Dietlinde can't be an angel… she can't…" I turn my head and cry into his shoulder.

"Asuka… we have to consider that this might be true… Akagi's right, Dietlinde WAS crawling before most babies could even show emotion. No, I'm not supporting her theory, I'm just trying to keep an open mind," how could he be saying that? Before I could respond, I was cut off by Akagi walking back into the room.

"Asuka… oh, hi Shinji, I'm glad you're here… I've got some bad news…" please don't let her say that… "I just got done looking at some of Dietlinde's white blood cells, and… wow… she shouldn't even be alive. Her white blood cell count is ninety percent below normal, with that amount she should die from a single virus. Now for the bad news…" that wasn't fucking bad news?! "All samples of angel blood had extremely low levels of white blood cells as well. Every attribute of her cells represents that of an angel," this can't be possible…

"But… she's just a baby… she can't be…" I'm not going to lose her again! "She's not! I don't believe you!" by now, I'm sobbing like a child.

"Asuka… I'm going to have to take Dietlinde for a little while," fuck no!

"You can fuck off!" I leap up and stare down at her, "You're not going to take my baby!" I feel a hand land on my shoulder.

"Asuka… I think we should follow what Rits says… she might be able to help Dietlinde…"

"How can you say that Shinji? She's our fucking daughter!" both of them simply stare at me, "You're… you have to be joking… I won't let you take her! She's not an angel!" to my surprise, Shinji grabs a hold of my shoulders and stares me in the eyes.

"Asuka! If we don't get help for Dietlinde she could end up dead! I realize that she's our daughter, and I realize that this is unfair to her, but the facts are right in front of us! We don't have a choice right now!" He can't be serious! "Listen…" he takes a deep breath and lets go of me, "You think I want to give Dietlinde up? Hell no I don't, but I want to see if there's even a possibility of her getting better, and I'll take any chance that presents itself."

"But… Shinji…" he takes me into a hug and I begin to sob into his chest, "This can't be true…"

"It's okay Asuka, just let it out," I barely even heard what he said over my own sobbing.

---

Two Hours Later – 3:15 – NERV Lab

"I don't think I can do this Shinji…" as I held Dietlinde in my arms in this white, bland room, my heart begins to race, thinking of how scared Dietlinde will be without us, "I don't think I can just leave Dietlinde here…"

"I know how you feel, but we don't have much of a choice in the matter. Ritsuko said that this won't take more then a week, so it's okay," Dietlinde looked up at both of us with such a confused face, simply asking where she is and why, "If you want, I can ask if we're able to stay in here with her at night."

"I… would like that…" I peck Dietlinde on the forehead once again.

"Okay Asuka, I don't mean to rip you away from her, but I should start as soon as possible. Don't worry, absolutely none of this will hurt her, I'll barely be touching her. All of this will be CAT scans and simply researching her anatomy. If she gets upset, I'll stop and call you in here, okay?" with shaking hands, I hand my baby to Akagi.

"O-Okay…"

"Mommy!" she outreaches her arms towards me, asking to be taken back. I put my hand on her head and gently stroke her hair.

"Mommy will be here, no matter what, I promise," she put down her arms and looked up at Akagi with what looked like approval, "There you go, that's my strong little girl," for one last time, I peck her on the forehead.

"Dr. Akagi!" a woman comes rushing into the room with a terrified look on her face, "We've got a big problem here! The MAGI says that there's another angel off the East coast!" half of me wanted to outstretch my finger, point it in Akagi's face and yell 'HA! I told you!' but the other half of me said 'Oh shit!'

"You're kidding me!" Shinji takes Dietlinde as Akagi yells, "But… I… I'm so sorry Asuka!" she rushes out of the room and towards the bridge.

"Well… what now…? I'm the only one that can pilot… ah shit…" damnit, I don't want to pilot right now!

"Like hell you're going to pilot! I'll just have the army go after it, how bad could it be?" Shinji of all people knows that the army can't take on an angel!

"Don't worry, I'll be fine. Listen, I want you to call Cass and tell him to take Dietlinde back home with him. You can stay here if you want though, I'm going to get changed," before he could respond, I run off towards the locker room. For some reason, I was really excited that I get to pilot again, it really has been awhile since I've even seen my Eva. As I strip down and crawl into the rubber plug suit, I realize that I actually could get hurt… nah, I won't! I'm the second best pilot NERV has! I finish getting changed and walk out of the locker room to see Shinji with empty arms.

"Cass picked up Dietlinde a few minutes ago, he's on his way home right now… I can't let you pilot Asuka!" I just laugh and kiss him deeply, "I'm just so scared Asuka…"

"Don't you worry about it. There's a reason why this angel waited so long to expose itself – it's weak!" I wait a little bit in the silence before speaking, "Aren't you going to say anything?"

"I… love you Asuka…"

"And nothing will ever change that… now, why don't you watch my performance?" I drag my finger across his chest as I walk away. This'll be a good workout, I really do need to drop those extra pounds from Asuka!

"Asuka?" I hear Akagi come over the intercom when I get to the Eva cages, "What are you doing? I haven't given you clearance to pilot yet!" she would have told me to get in here eventually anyway!

"Oh come on, someone needs to kick that angel's ass!" I crawl into the entry plug and Shinji's face appears on a side screen.

"Asuka! This has gone far enough! Get out of there now!" I just laugh as I press the 'Launch' button, "ASUKA! If you think that I can't get you to stop you're wrong!" well no duh he can get me to stop!

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know, just raise the LCL pressure and it'll knock me out, but you wouldn't do that," and he knew he wouldn't! "Now, where's this angel?" Akagi's face appears next to Shinji's, "Okay, if you're going to try and talk me out of it, forget it. Just tell me where it is so I can hurry up and get back home!"

"Damnit… Shinji, what's your word on this?" he closes his eyes and rubs them.

"Go ahead and pilot… but if there turns out to be even the slightest bit of trouble, I'm going to eject you from your Eva, got it?" jeez, he acts like I'm four!  
"Okay, gotcha. Now, where is this angel?" Shinji's screen disappears and in its place, a small map with a bright red dot on it, "Right there. It's about two minutes away from where you are, but for some reason it doesn't seem like it's in a rush," she was right, the dot was barely moving at all.

"Well then, I guess I'll have to just hunt it down!" I start to jet down the city at full speed, taking in all of the g-forces.

"Asuka, this might be a bad time, but just as an update you currently have sync ratio of ninety-five percent. Try not to get it too high, remember, if you hit one hundred you'll feel everything that the Eva feels," I stop dead in my tracks and start to laugh.

"Yeah, but it also makes me stronger!" after a few seconds of concentrating, Akagi comes up on the screen once again.

"Do you LIKE to give Shinji heart attacks? Damnit… you're at ninety-nine… just try and take it easy, okay?" without saying a word, I charge towards the East shore… son of a bitch…

"Shinji? Shinji! We've got a problem!" he pops up on the screen fast as hell.

"What?!" his face…

"Never mind… false alarm…" his face was… terrified… I can't tell him.

"Don't freak me out like that Asuka!" I come in range of the angel, but I still fail to see it, "You there?"

"Yeah, sorry about that. Hey, put Akagi on, I can't see the angel anywhere," I have to be really careful… I can't let that angel damage our house, "I mean, I'm in range, but nothing's he-" suddenly, my body was flung a couple thousand feet by an outside force, "Damnit!" I struggle to my feet to see a small, scrawny looking angel, "Don't you know what a sucker punch is?!" this thing was what hit me? It's scrawny! This thing can't be more then half the size of my Eva! It had a fairly simple design; solid purple with red eyes and ears that pointed straight up. It's 'arms' looked more like hanging cloth then anything, they even blew in the wind! "This should be easy enough!" I charge at the angel and run right past it, grabbing one of its arms as I went. As it was ripped back, I was fairly surprised that its arm didn't rip off.

"Don't over do it Asuka!" Shinji – once again – shows up on my comm. link screen.

"Oh calm down!" I throw the angel into the air, "It's not like this thing is dangerous! Now, just sit back and watch me at work!" I shut off the link and continue to volley the tiny angel in the air, "Jesus, this thing is weak!" as I punch it into the air for the fifth time, it wraps its arm around my arm and throws me over its head, all before landing on the ground, "Damn!" I look up to see the angel with a wide smile and jumping into the air, obviously celebrating his one and only hit, "Yeah, you better be happy, that's all you're going to get!" I charge at it once again, but with that creepy smile still present, it flipped me over its head.

"HAHAHAHAAA!!!" by now it's laughing – which, by the way, sounds like a friggen fast forward film. As it was jumping, it accidentally knocked over an old abandoned house, which caught its interest. After a few seconds of staring at the wreckage, it got that smile back and once again began to laugh. As it was still laughing, it kicked down another building, and then let out that horrid laugh again, "AGAIN!" It raised one of those cloth-looking arms and looked at our house.

"FUCK!" I leaped in front of our house just as he sent that arm out, thus catching my shoulder, "You're not going to hurt my family!" I grab the arm and – while it was still holding tight onto my arm – swung it around and threw it as far as possible.

"No!" it literally stopped in mid air after I threw it and tightened up its arm. After a few seconds, I feel it's grip tighten to the point of pain, and then a hard thrust downwards.

"AHHHH!!!" I try not to fall to the floor as blood fills the entry plug. Out of either instinct or pure luck, I manage to stumble away from our house.

"Asuka! I'm ejecting you, we're coming to help!" Shinji's face once again appears on the screen and I slam my remaining fist against it.

"No… you're not! This son of a bitch will kill everyone if I give in!" how the hell I expect to take on this thing with one arm, I don't know, but I have to at least try, "Shinji! Filter the LCL as I fight, I can't see!" I could see enough though! I run up and punt the angel into the air, sending it flying towards the mountains.

"Like hell I'm going to let you fight! I'm not going to let you die!" my vision starts to become blurry from lose of blood.

"If you don't then everyone dies!" he just kept silent, "I… can do this…" I look to my left thigh and damn near vomit. It was just lying there, my wedding ring still sporting my ring finger, "I… won't let you hurt my family!" I charge at the dust-covered mountains and just as I enter the cloud of dust, I feel a tight pressure around my waist.

"Bye-bye!" I see two red eyes glowing through the dust and soon a body appears. I couldn't even budge from its hold, let alone get away. I grab its arms and – without any use – pull at them.

"Let go of me!" the arms start to vein out to the rest of my body, and within a few seconds they were covering my entire chest and legs, "Damnit!"

"That's it, I'm ejecting you!" I press the over-ride button on my controls and go back to struggling.

"Like… hell… you are!" I eventually get close enough to grab the little demon, and that's exactly what I do. I wrap my fingers around its scrawny neck, but that barely seemed to scathe it.

"You kill, I go boom!" it managed to mutter through my threshold.

"And if you don't let go of me I'll kill you," a look of worry crossed its face, "Are you afraid to die?" I manage a small smirk as it nods, "Well I'm not…" I lift up my leg and kick it square in the chest, leaving a huge dent and a steady stream of blood begins to pour from it.

"ASUKA! Get away from it!" I swear, if he doesn't shut the hell up!

"NO! I need to finish it off… and I can only do it one way," I lock the controls so I don't lose my grip on it and begin to type in an old code that I never thought I'd be using, "Shinji, I don't have much time here, so listen," I finish with the typing and lay back in the seat, "Not too sure what to say here…" I can barely see anything right now, and I'm hovering a few inches from unconsciousness, "But… goodbye Shinji… I love you…"

"No! Just eject Asuka! Don't do this!" I let out a small chuckle, causing me to let out a few hard coughs.

"You know I have to, now quit with the dramatics…" I see tears start to run down his face, "You're not going to say anything?"

"I… don't want to lose you…"

"Take care of Dietlinde and Asuka, okay?" he slowly nods, "Okay… I… have to go…" tears fill my eyes as I close the comm. link and lay back in my chair, waiting for the countdown to finish.

_5_

"Asuka…" his face once again pops up on the screen, his eyes red with tears.

_4_

"I love you… so much…" he's so close to sobbing right now, but he holds it back.

_3_

"You too Shinji… I love you…" we both smile at each other one last time.

_2_

"I love you…" we both say in unison.

_1_

"And nothing will ever change that…"

_0_

_Shinji Ikari, you're the most amazing man that I've ever met, how you ever came to like me I'll never know. You gave me two incredible gifts that I'll never forget, I'm just sorry that I'm leaving them. I know you'll be an amazing father though, just don't forget about me, okay? I know I'll never forget my Shinji! Now, I'm sure by now you're sobbing your eyes out, but it's okay. I had the best possible life a woman could have, and it was all thanks to a very special man that made my life worth living. I'll see you eventually, but don't be in any rush, I can wait. You've saved my life multiple times, now it's time to return the favor. _

_All I want right now is to kiss you one last time, or at least inhale your scent… but I can't. I'm going to miss you so much, it's actually starting to hurt already, as I know it's hurting for you. Please don't let it effect your life to the point of you not being able to function, there are still two girls that need you._

_I love you Shinji Ikari, nothing will ever change that… ever._

A/N- Well… that's it. This is the end of Nothing Will Ever Change That. There is an epilogue, so stick around for that. Thanks for reading up to here you all, I really appreciate all your reviews and comments. This story has improved my writing skills to something that I never thought it would be. Thanks for driving me on, I'll be back with the epilogue soon. Keep on keepin' on!


	119. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

A/N – Okay, before you read, know that there is one more posting after this short addition, so don't forget about me when you finish with this! It just may take awhile for me to get it done; between work, school and personal issues, I've had –and I'm not exaggerating – no more then an hour to work on it. Please give me at least until Christmas to get it done, and I'm really sorry for the wait.

A certain red-haired beauty drove up with her family to the cemetery with flowers in hand. 'Tokyo-3 Cemetery' was written on the large metal gates of the grassy plain. When the black van came to a stop, the woman exited the vehicle alone, still clutching the flowers. In silence, she walked up in front of two specific tomb-stones. With a sinking heart, she read the first one.

Here lies Shinji Ikari

Husband, Father, Savior, Friend

"I love you Asuka, and nothing will ever change that"

June 6, 2001 – May 22, 2018

Reading this brought a small tear to the woman's eye. She had no memory of this man, she had no emotional bonds with him, yet she still came to this very spot every month out of either respect or personal reasoning. In reality, she should hate him for leaving her. Why did he have to take such a cowardly path? She could have grown to love him, but instead she grew up alone. He was supposed to be there for her, it was his responsibility, and he simply threw it away. He threw everything away. Feeling her jaw cramp up, she looked over at the tomb-stone next to Shinji's.

Here lies Asuka Langley Ikari

Wife, Mother, Savior, Friend

"I love you Shinji, and nothing will ever change that"

August 4, 2001 – May 21, 2018

Simply by coincidence they both wrote similar quotes in their wills. This reason is still unknown to anyone that knew Shinji or Asuka. Though they made their love extremely well known, even Akagi didn't know the reasoning for this. The woman had given up by now on finding out. She saw the possibility of the two sharing a secret bond that no one knew about, that even they questioned. That quote had to have some meaning to it, and she would leave that last shred of love for them to hold. Asuka was different in the woman's eyes. Asuka gave her life for the woman's, and for that, she will be eternally in debt for. Asuka was yet another missing memory of the woman. Just like Shinji, she never had the opportunity to meet this glorious young woman. Everyone she asked said that Asuka was the strongest person they knew, that she'd give her life for the ones she loved. And she did.

"You still come here every month?" Asuka nearly jumped out of her skin at the sudden comment.

"Yeah… I just wish I was able to meet them, they really sound like wonderful people…" the other woman stood tall, about the height of her father.

"Yeah, bullshit. Our good for nothing father left us with some dead end scientist. At least mom died trying to defend us," their first daughter thought very poorly of Shinji obviously. In fact, she despised him.

"Dietlinde! Don't say that! How would you feel if your husband died?" the woman instantly got fire in her eyes.

"I wouldn't leave my children to fend for themselves! He was a useless, pathetic, waste of blood and bone…" she softly kicked some dirt on his grave, "Mom was the only decent one out of the two…" Ritsuko had tried multiple times to change her mind about her father, but it has been proven to be impossible. Asuka was about to say something as she heard her own daughter running up. She obviously bit her tongue.

"Mommy! What'cha readin'?" a three year old girl came running out of the van with a smile ear to ear. She ran up and gave her mother a hug, "Hi Aunt Lind!" Quickly wiping away her tears, the mother picked her child up and faced the graves.

"Hey sweetie. I gotta go, talk to you BOTH later," with that last sour comment, she walked off.

"See those two stones? They're your grandma and grandpa," the young girl cocked her head in confusion as her mother changed the subject.

"They are? They don't look like daddy's mom and dad…" the woman chuckled at the child's nativity.

"No honey, they're in heaven," the girl perked up.

"Oh! You mean like Princess?" the woman held back more tears as she smiled.

"Yeah sweetie… like Princess…" the woman closed her eyes and let a tear fall. Carefully, the young girl in her arms reached up and wiped away her mother's tear. Her face suddenly had a concerned look on.

"Mommy? Why are you crying?" the mother gave her a sweet smile.

"No reason…" she set down her child and held her hand. The child pulled away from her mother's grip and walked in front of the flowers, looking at both graves as she did.

"Thank you for taking care of mommy when she was little. You taught her how to be a really good mom!" the woman couldn't help but shed another tear at her child's words. Actually, a simple doctor raised her from birth. It was because of that woman that she grew up how she did. Shinji and Asuka had nothing to do with it. Her child looked up at her with a smile.

"How about we go home and get you something to eat?" she regained her composure and once again picked up her daughter.

"Yeah!" the girl giggled at her mother's upbeat tone.

"Let's see, what does Yui like to eat?" she began to walk back to her van… and her husband.

"I dunno!" like most children; she put up a fight when it came to eating. She – of course – knew what she wanted, but why make it easy for a parent?

"You don't know? Really?" with a smile she set her child down in the car-seat, "Well then, looks like I'll just have to whip something up special, huh?" she kissed the girl on her forehead, "I love you Dietlinde."

"I love you to mommy!" the woman sat down in the front passenger seat with a smile and one last tear in her eye.

"So Asuka, have you found out what you needed to know yet?" her husband – Blaze – asked as he drove off. The question had become more of a routine after the cemetery then him actually doing it out of concern, so he was fairly surprised that she responded.

Blaze basically grew up with Asuka. Though Asuka was slightly older, she rarely acted it. Most said she acted like her mother, but she – of course – didn't know that to be true. He was raised by two young adults – pilots for that matter. Asuka learned most about her parents from them, apparently they were close friends.

"I think I finally have…" the happy family drove off in smiles. After thirty four years of visiting this cemetery, after countless visits she finally knew what her parents were saying. 'Nothing will ever change that' she repeated in her mind. That quote is nothing more then a feeling. It wasn't just a mixture of words making a sentence, it was a feeling that the two lovers shared, that nothing could ever take away from them. Finally feeling that she knew how her parents felt, she never visited that place with an empty heart again, only a bright smile. She looked to the sky with a smile. She thanked her parents mentally for bringing her into this existence most called life. She watched the passing hills as they drove with a feeling of satisfaction. She knew that her parents were very special people. As an adult, she knew that life would go on if she were to be struck down as is. A few people would cry, then life would resume. If one were to think about it, all life is meaningless. What has anyone really contributed to this world? Even great scientists have brought on massive deaths with their discoveries. She knew that she had contributed absolutely nothing; she was just a simple house wife with a child. And yet even so, sitting in the back seat was her purpose. Her purpose was to be there for the ones she loved. Nothing more, nothing less.

Shinji and Asuka were different though. They were the only two people in history that actually did only good for humanity. They saved the world countess times, and in the end they were destined to die before they were even adults. This would bring sadness to most, but to her it actually brought a smile. They fulfilled their purpose in this world, and then made room for the next generation to move on. They even contributed to the next generation. This drive would always make Asuka depressed. Out in the hills was the only place that she could get away from in all, and in a few minutes she'd be back in the city, and back to her life. Just as they were entering city limits and passing the last hill, she saw two young adults atop that hill sharing a passionate kiss in the clear summer light.

"_I love you Asuka Langley Souryu, and nothing will ever change that_"

"_I love you Shinji Ikari, and nothing will ever change that_"

A/N – **Remember,** **there is more! I just have to finish it! See you all soon!**


	120. Final Entry

**Nothing Will Ever Change That**

Epilogue 2

A/N – MUAHAHA! I freaked you all out with that last epilogue, didn't I? Well, that was the first one I wrote when I was around page 75, but this is the real one… of course, it's too long to be an epilogue but… eh, whatever, I got carried away.

A/A/N – Okay, one thing: THIS IS NOT PROOF-READ! I was waiting for Frost to read it, but he's been sick lately. Please don't make comments on mistakes.

Shinji's Room – One Day Later

Why did she leave? The only person in my life… and she's gone… why? I couldn't be there for her… I could have helped her, I could have saved her… instead I was stuck in the sidelines watching her be torn up. She died in my arms… I actually saw her die… I saw her beautiful eyes fade away. I begged Ritsuko to clone her, but she said that there was no way. She said that there 'wasn't enough' left of Asuka to clone her, but I really doubt it.

I sit next to Asuka's crib, and oddly, Dietlinde was in it along with her. For some reason, those two have really gotten along the last few hours since their mother left. Normally they'd be either fighting for attention or simply ignoring each other. Dietlinde was still awake, but Asuka was fast asleep. It was odd for her to be awake at this hour, I mean, normally she'll be out at nine, but it's three right now. How she's awake, I have no idea. She keeps on looking past me at the door with a worried look, then once again begins to stare at me. Her eyes eventually drift to a picture on the nightstand of me, her and Asuka – the adult – and she begins to whine. With teary eyes, I pick her up and cradle her.

"Mommy's fine… don't you worry…" I think that she knew I was lying because she buried her face in my chest and began to cry silently. I sit back down and hold her a little closer, "I'll take care of you two… I promise…" she looked back up at me with a quivering bottom lip.

"Mommy…?" why did her first word have to be that of all things? I smile and lean down to kiss her.

"Don't cry…" even though I said that, I can feel tears running down my face just as hard, "Please don't cry…" I bring her up and hold her head next to mine as we cry together, "You know what's going on, don't you?" she clenches onto my neck a little harder, "You do… don't worry, I'm still here…" and I'll always be here… I won't leave them, no matter what. They're all I have, and I'm all they have. I swear on my life that I won't leave them…

---

Three Years Later

"Daddy! Wake up!" I slowly open my eyes to see Dietlinde and Asuka at my bedside, both smiling widely.

"Morning my two sweeties…" I slug out of bed and pick the two up with a small grunt. They were starting to get too heavy for me! "You hungry?" they both nod, still smiling.

Cass and Sam had gotten married a little while back – about two years ago – and since then they've been happier then I've ever seen them. Even now that they're married, Sam STILL doesn't know Cass's first name, though she does know his last. Well,, I guess she could know, but she hasn't told me!

Over the past few years, Asuka has shown to be my daughter. For the most part, she looked like me. She basically had all of my traits aside from the blazing red hair. For some reason, that's always the main gene that would hold out on Asuka's side. Dietlinde on the other hand was a spitting image of her mother, not a single detail showed otherwise. Sam and Cass's child has shown to be like Sam. Brown hair, green eyes, and the attitude to match! Blaze was actually a pretty well behaved boy for his age, I guess Sam and Cass turned out to be better parents then I thought. I walk out into the kitchen and put my children down at the table.

"You're going to get a hernia one of these days…" I turn to Cass across the living room with a cup of coffee in hand.

"Nah, I'm fine, they're not THAT heavy!" he chuckles and takes another sip of coffee.

"That's what you said about that sofa last week…" I put my hand on my lower back with a chuckle, "I tried to tell you that getting it off the truck by yourself was a bad idea… but nnnoooo! The great Shinji Ikari just had to prove that he could do it!" Asuka and Dietlinde both giggle.

"Hey, I'm fine now aren't I? Anyway, where's Blaze?" Cass looks up at me with a smile.

"Look behind you…" I turn around just in time to see him jump off the counter and onto me. I catch him and laugh.

"Ya little monkey!" though he was well behaved, he could get riled up pretty easily, "How'd you sleep?" I raise him above my head as he laughs.

"He didn't!" I see Sam walk out of her room smiling, "That little devil wouldn't go to sleep!" she sits down next to Cass and lays her head on his shoulder, "I'm wiped…"

"Morning Blaze!" Asuka waves to the boy on my shoulder with a smile and he returns it.

"Hey Asuka," he jumps down and sits at the table next to her. The three eventually get lost in meaningless conversation, all smiling the whole way. I go into the living room and sit in the recliner.

"So Shinji, have you made a decision about the Evas yet?" by now, Sam was comfortably asleep in Cass's arms, leaving the remaining two adults to talk.

"No… what do you think I should do? All nations are either coaxing me or glaring at me… I just don't know what I should do here," about a month ago the UK demanded that the Evas be destroyed, saying that they're 'costing tax payers money to support'. So then – just like dominoes – all other nations agreed or fought it. So now I had to make a decision that could either destroy the planet, or cost the world billions of dollars… not exactly an easy choice!

"Well, personally, I'm against it. Just like with the sins, another threat COULD come up. Now, needless to say I don't want to fight, but if I had to, I would. Sam feels the same way about it. What about you?" though I agree with them, I doubt that I'd be able to get back into an Eva without some serious mental preparation.

"I… guess… but what about all the money?" he simply shrugs.

"They've been doing it for the last twenty some years, they can do it from now on. Listen, I know you don't want to talk about it, but I can guarantee you that Asuka would want them around. Unit 02 was her pride, she loved that thing. Hell, her Eva won't even accept any other pilots, not even a dummy plug, now doesn't that tell you something? The Evas are living things Shinji, not some hunks of metal that you can throw away," I really hadn't thought of that…

"You're right… okay, they'll stay… but I have to come up with something to tell everyone as to why I'm not having them destroyed!" he chuckles as he takes another sip of coffee.

"Tell them to fuck off…" with her eyes still closed, Sam lightly slaps his chest.

"Not around the children…"

---

Five Years Later

"Cut the bullshit Akagi! Tell me why the hell you didn't bring Asuka back!" I slam my fists on her desk making her jump.

"I already told you! She didn't have enough brain tissue for me to use!" she stands up and meets me at eye level, "You honestly think that I'd take away the mother of two children AND a wife?"

"Yes! I had half a fucking head and you still cloned me! Listen, I know damn well that you still have her body somewhere in NERV. I've let it go for eight years now, but I swear, if you don't tell me where she is I'll run a search my damn self!" I've heard that from more than twenty people saying that she's somewhere here.

"You're being obsessive Shinji! You saw her body lower in the ground a month after she died!" the funeral was… depressing to say the least.

"No I didn't… that wasn't her," her eyes widen a little, "You think I would have fallen for that? I had NERV run a DNA test on her hair and Dietlinde's… whoever that was, it wasn't Asuka," I see her start to sweat, "I'm giving you one more chance Akagi… tell me where she is…" she lowers back onto her seat and closes her eyes.

"Fine… you win…" she signs one last paper before getting up and guiding me out of the room, "I didn't tell you for a reason… when Asuka was fighting that last angel, something happened to her that even the MAGI is confused about… in my opinion, I think that the angel planted some kind of 'seed' in her. During the autopsy, I found that her entire stomach was missing and in it's place, a small red orb… Shinji, she was an angel…" I stop dead in my tracks.

"Y-You… did an autopsy on her… without my permission?!" I grab her shoulders hard and keep her in place, "That's a felony Akagi!" she rolls her eyes.

"Do you want to see her again or not?" I release her with a small push and she once again begins to walk, "As I was saying, I believe that the last angel was one that could produce more angels, like a mother of sorts, and it chose Asuka. For some reason, even though she was clearly dead, that orb was warm… exactly ninety eight point six degrees… it was alive. I couldn't let it go, so I kept her body tucked away in a small crevice of NERV," we then came to a dead end. No doors, no key pads, nothing. She got down on one knee and began to knock on the wall until a hollow sound echoed back, "Here we go…" she lightly pressed her hand against it and a small square slid open, "Come on, you'll need to crawl," she disappeared into the wall and I followed after her.

"You could have at least told me…" she didn't say a word as we made our way down the pitch black tunnel. After ten minutes of crawling, she comes to a stop.

"Okay, we're here…" I heard the beeping of a keypad and a bright light instantly shows itself in front of me. She crawls towards it and I follow her. I find myself in a large room – solid white and a perfect square – with a single keypad behind me.

"This room isn't in the blueprints of NERV…" I've looked over them countless times, trying to find just where Asuka was.

"Of course it isn't…" she begins to push seemingly random numbers on the keypad, "This is all mine…" after a good thirty digits, I hear a loud humming, "And here she comes…" a large tube full of LCL begins to rise from the middle of the room, and eventually showed Asuka floating in the fluid.

"A-Asuka…" I slowly make my way to the tub and fall to my knees in front of it, staring up at her face the whole time. She still had her left arm missing and a long scar crossed from her right breast to her left hip.

"Yep, that's the original Asuka… that's also the final angel…" I feel tears start to run down my face.

"Clone her… I don't care what you have to do… just get her back…" she lets out a long sigh.

"I can't… I'll be cloning an angel, I could cause the Third Impact if I did… well, I COULD clone her without the red orb, but I'd need money – a lot of money – to do the research on how to do that," money? Is that all she ever fucking needed?!

"How much…?" she pauses for a few seconds.

"Umm… I'm guessing about a hundred billion…" holy crap… that could throw Japan into a depression…

"You got it… how much ti-" I was cut off by a familiar voice.

"Dad?" I whip my head around to see Dietlinde and Asuka standing in front of the opening. Dietlinde was staring up at her mother with wide eyes and a dropped jaw. Asuka – on the other hand – looked away simply embarrassed at seeing a naked woman. I run over and hold both of their heads to my stomach, blocking their view.

"Just get it done…" I guide the two into the passage, having Asuka lead with Dietlinde behind her, "Why did you two follow me? I told you to stay with Sam and Cassin the cafeteria!" this was my first time actually yelling at them… they've always been such well behaved children, I've never had to discipline them.

"We're sorry… we just wanted to be with you…" Asuka had an uneasy voice as she spoke. I let out a long sigh as I crawl.

"Okay… look, next time I tell you to do something, don't go against me. Okay?" Asuka hums her answer while Dietlinde kept quiet, "Dietlinde?" I hear her let out a small whimper, "Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah…" she was obviously crying. We all stay quiet until we reach the opening. When I finally got out I see Dietlinde against a corner hiding her face with Asuka behind her with a worried look.

"Asuka, why don't you go back to Sam and Cass? I think Blaze wanted to see you," without debating, she walked down the hall, leaving me and Dietlinde alone. I put my hand on her shoulder and turn her around to see eyes full of tears, "Dietlinde…" I lean down and hug her tight, "I'm sorry you had to see that…" she hugs me back and cries into my shoulder.

"Th-That was mom… wasn't it?" she still remembered her mother…

"Yeah… Rits has her there as a sort of cemetery…" I lie, but Dietlinde seemed to believe it.

"I still remember her… I remember being in her arms everyday… she would sing that song to me before I went to sleep… I remember the night she didn't come back…" she cries a little harder into my shoulder.

"She was a wonderful woman…" I lean back and kiss her forehead with a fake smile, "Don't forget her, she'll help you one way or another in the future…" I'm sure that at her age, she didn't understand what I was saying, but she nodded, still crying, "Listen, I don't want you to tell Asuka about any of this, I'll talk to her later, okay?" she once again nods. I put my hands on her shoulders and look her deep in the eye, "And I'll talk with you too…" she smiles at me and hugs me tight, "I love you Dietlinde… and so did your mother…" I pick her up with some strain and carry her down the hall.

"Dad… I'm nine…" she gave me a sarcastic look.

"I know, but you're still my baby," I once again kiss her forehead. She did as I told her – she didn't say a word to Asuka about her mother. I knew she would; Dietlinde's always been obedient. Needless to say, the rest of the night was quiet. Dietlinde had kept her mouth shut even to me, she hasn't said a word in a few hours now. Asuka on the other hand is normal, why wouldn't she be? There's no way that she could know who Asuka was.

"Okay girls, time for bed," without a word my children – along with Blaze – head for their rooms. As they walked off, I put my hand on Asuka's shoulder and guide her to the sofa, "Asuka… we need to talk," her eyes widen.

"It wasn't me! Blaze was the one-" I put my finger on her lips and shake my head, keeping my serious face.

"You're not in trouble, we just need to talk about what you saw today. Does that woman mean anything to you?" she once again blushes.

"Well… no… I do have a question though… why was she naked?" I smile down at her.

"Forget about that… that woman… was your mother," her eyes widen, "I'm sorry for not tell you earlier, but you weren't ready for it. She died trying to save you and Dietlinde… hell, the whole world," I hold up my hand with my wedding ring on it, "We were both happily married for some time before she died. She died a few months after you were born…" she loses her wide eyes and looks at me with a smile.

"Well… you're here now, aren't you? I don't need a mom, I have the best dad there is…" she leans in and hugs me tight. As I smile, I feel a tear roll down my face.

"Thanks… I love you Asuka…" she leans back and once again looks at me with a smile.

"I love you too dad," she gets up and walks to her room, leaving me with a warm heart. After a few minutes I get up and head for Dietlinde's room. Before I open the door, I put my ear to it to see if she was asleep or not. Instead of hearing silence like I normally would, I hear a young girl crying to herself. Without knocking, I walk into the darkness only lit by the open door. She was sitting on her bed hugging her legs crying into her knees. I turn on the light and shut the door as I make my way to her bedside.

"Come here honey…" I sit next to her and hug her, "It's okay…" she stays in her fetal position as I hug her, "I miss her too…" now she's got me crying! We both sit there for a few minutes crying silently, not saying a word until she finally pulls back and looks at me with teary eyes.

"Did… she really give her life for us?" I smile through my tears.

"Yeah… she did…" she averts her stare to the floor, "Do you have any questions about her?" she slowly nods.

"Can… you tell me about your wedding?" I lay her down and cover her up to her neck.

"Sure honey…" as I tell the long story, she slowly falls asleep with a small smile on her face.

---

Three Years Later

"Dad! Hurry up! I'm going to be late!" I finish throwing Dietlinde and Asuka's lunches together and toss them to the two.

"I'm coming!" we all run out of the house after I grab my keys, "Wait… where's Blaze?" Asuka looks back at me and raises an eyebrow, "What?"

"He left with Cass awhile ago! Now can WE get going? We're both going to be late for school!" we make our way to my car and I pull out of the driveway. Today was Dietlinde's first day of middle school… and it's eating me up. She started puberty two years ago, and she's definitely taking after her mother. Let's just say she's keeping up with Asuka… I'm fairly worried about the boys at her school, but I think that she'll be able to handle them! For her age, she did have a fairly mature body… and her long red hair didn't exactly help! Asuka was the same way, but luckily for me she was still in grade school. None the less, she began puberty last year… and so did Blaze. Those two have gotten really close these last few months, and I saw them holding hands last night at the dinner table. I knew exactly what was happening, but Asuka wasn't going to be allowed to date until she's Dietlinde's age.

"So Dietlinde, you excited about going to middle school?" she clenched her bag a little.

"Yeah… I'm a little nervous though…" I let out a small chuckle.

"Don't worry, you'll do fine. Just stay calm, and try to make a few friends today, okay?" unfortunately, her best friend from grade school moved away, so chances are that they won't see each other again.

"Okay…" when we get to Asuka's school, I see Blaze waiting at the front steps for her.

"Hey Blaze!" Dietlinde smirks at me and I put my finger on my lips, telling her to keep quiet. Asuka gets out of the car and runs towards him. They exchange a few words before walking into school… holding hands…

"Asuka!" I call her as they walk. She turns around and blushes at my smile. She lets go of him that they close they doors behind them.

"She's got the hots for him BAD!" Dietlinde busted out laughing.

"Yeah, I know," I once again begin to drive, "She's not allowed to date though," Dietlinde stops laughing and looks at me.

"Um… can I?" I chuckle a little, "DAD! You're not going to let me date?"

"No, I will, but I have to meet the guy first," she lets out a soft sigh, "My girls are growing up!" I sarcastically wipe away a fake tear, "It seemed like only yesterday that I was changing your diapers!" though I was joking, it was true.

"Oh grow up!" I lose my joking face and smile a sad smile. She sounded exactly like Asuka right there; same tone, same voice… same warmth.

"You're becoming more like your mother every day…" she smiled weakly at me.

"Thanks…" she knew that to be a compliment… after a few minutes of silence, I pull up to her school.

"Okay, good luck honey," she gets out of the car and waves, "What? No hug? No kiss? Come on!" she blushed deeply.

"Dad! I'm thirteen for God sakes!" I raise an eyebrow, "Fine…" she leans through the window and pecks me on the cheek, "Happy now?" I smile at her. as she pulled back I grab her wrist.

"Dietlinde… I really love you…" I slip a small piece of jewelry in her hand, "And so did your mother…" she pulls back and looks at the ring with wide eyes.

"Is this…" she pauses.

"Yeah…" she waves to me as I drive off. She's going to grow up just like Asuka, I know it. Hell, she even looks exactly like her! The only thing I'm worried about is the whole boy issue. Being thirteen and having Asuka's body type will attract some attention from boys, I can tell that much. Hopefully she'll have the same attitude as Asuka did with that sort of thing. Suddenly, I hear my phone ring. Going against traffic laws, I pick it up.

"Hello?" I hear a woman panting on the other line.

"Shinji… get down here now… something's gone wrong…" it was Akagi, obviously upset about something.

"Ritsuko, what's wrong?" I hear a faint humming in the backround, but I couldn't place exactly what it was.

"It's Asuka, she's… ah shit!" I hear a few gunshots before the line goes dead. with my heart pounding, I drop the phone and push my car to the limits down the highway. When I finally get to NERV, I run inside and frantically search the hallways. I asked a few people where she was, but no one seemed to know. Eventually, I get to that dead end hallway I visited a few years back. I open it and immediately see that blinding light at the end of the tunnel. I crawl as fast as I could and eventually get to that damned room. When I stand up, I see absolutely nothing, not even the LCL tube… then suddenly I feel a dripping of something wet on the top of my head. I look up to see Akagi hanging upside-down with blood dripping from her neck. I jet out from under her and instantly see another being – about my size – holding her ankle.

"Shin… ji…" Akagi muttered before falling to the floor, sending a loud snapping noise through the room from her neck. The thing jumped down and landed a few feet from me. It's entire body was pitch black aside from blazing red, long hair that draped over it's shoulders. It's smile… was wicked… it was actually devilish. The eyes were solid blue, glowing bright… was this…?

"Oh, Shinji! Shinji!" it let out an evil laugh as it said my name. It was hunched over slightly seemingly in a fighting pose. It's hands were clenched and open, making it look almost like claws, "My dear Shinji!" it jumped up and down as it laughed.

"A-Asuka?" she nodded slightly, never losing that evil smile. Before I could react, she lunged at me and clenched onto my throat and actually lifted me into the air.

"P-Please… help…" she lost that smile and clenched her eyes shut, "Shinji… help…" that was her voice… it was actually her voice… I reach down and put my hand on her cheek, "Don't touch me!" her eyes opened back up and glared at me. I didn't move my hand though, "I said stop it!" while still holding me in the air, she punched my arm away.

"Asuka…" its eyes widened, "I… love you…" she dropped me and clenched her head with both hands.

"STOP IT!" she fell to her knees in pain. I lean next to her and hug her, "G-Get… off…" I continue to hug her, "Get… off of me!" she flattens her hand and thrusts it at me, sending blood flying as it digs into my shoulder. Her eyes widen as she sees the blood, "Shin… ji…" I see a tear form in her eye as she falls backwards. The pain in my shoulder was unbearable, I could barely stand it! I try to get to my feet, but instead end up lying on my back, slowly blacking out. A few seconds later I see a young girl crawl out of the passage.

"D-Dietlinde… leave…" she gasps as she looks at me, but was soon cut off as Asuka pinned her against the wall by her neck, "Dietlinde!" just as Asuka brings back her fist, I black out.

---

Four Hours Later – NERV Hospital

I slowly open my eyes to that familiar ceiling of the hospital room. I jet up in bed and frantically look around for any sign of Dietlinde. I was in this room alone… nobody was here… I bury my face in my hands and sob. Did Asuka kill her? What about Asuka herself? Why did I tell Akagi to clone her…?

"Dietlinde!" I continue to sob into my hands.

"Yes?" I look up to see her leaning against the door, "Now why are you crying?" a deep purple bruise marked her face as she smiled wide. She walks to my bedside and I hug her tight, "Dad! Come on, this is embarrassing!" she pulls away from me and I smile.

"Sorry… how did you get to NERV?" she lets out a sigh.

"Well, I saw you drive off like a maniac so I called a cab and paid him forty bucks to speed… you owe me that money by the way!" I couldn't help but laugh.

"Are you okay?" I put my hand lightly on her cheek.

"Eh, that's nothing… mom punches like a wimp!" my eyes widen at her comment.

"Mom? What are you talking about?" how did she know that it was her mother?

"Ugh… you know, you could have at least told me she was coming back eventually. That black thing was her, just in a different form… apparently all you have to do is cry to get her back to normal!" back…?

"Hey, I heard that wimp comment young lady!" I hear another woman walk into the room… I know that voice… I leap out of bed to see Asuka standing there with her hands on her hips. I completely freeze, I couldn't move a muscle… was this her? "Damn Shinji, these years have kicked your ass!" I leap at her and hug her tight.

"Is this you? Is this really you?" she leans back with a smile.

"No, this is Gendo, yeah it's me!" I lean down and kiss her deeply. She wraps her arms around my neck and accepts the kiss.

"EW! Guys, do that later! God that's nasty!" We both look at Dietlinde covering her eyes and laugh. I look back at Asuka with teary eyes. She's changed so much… she actually aged in the time she was dead… and yet she still looked as beautiful as ever.

"I… don't know what to say here…" I was still in shock from seeing her again!

"How about I love you?"

"And nothing will ever change that…" I take her into another deep kiss. Dietlinde cuts in between us with an annoyed face.

"Okay, setting a ground rule right now; no making out in from of me!" we both laugh.

"Fine…" Asuka smirks at me, "What about sex?" I instantly bust out laughing and Dietlinde simply gags. Having 'the talk' with Dietlinde was hard enough, but Asuka just blew it out the window! "Shinji… she looks exactly like me…" Asuka whispers in my ear. I simply nod, "So… does she have a boyfriend?"

"No, not yet… but Asuka does…" she jumped back.

"What?! She's not even a teenager yet!" that's exactly what I thought!

"Yeah well… it happened… we should go pick her and her boyfriend up, they should get home…" Asuka raised an eyebrow, "It's Blaze."

"HIM?!" Dietlinde pops up and smirks at her mother.

"Oh yeah, she's got it bad for him! Same with Blaze! I saw them together this morning… oh man!" she begins to laugh.

"Dietlinde? What were they doing?" Asuka lost the joking face and gained a serious one, "Actually, never mind, I'll just ask her myself. Let's go," Asuka grabbed my hand and walked towards the door.

"Oh my God! EW!" I turn around to see Dietlinde covering her eyes, "Damnit dad, put on some clothes!" ugh… I really hated these hospital clothes. I just mooned my daughter! Without a word, I walk into the bathroom and find my clothes on the counter. Asuka was back… I have my wife back… eleven years, and I finally have her back! I get dressed and walk back out to see Dietlinde blushing deeply and Asuka smirking.

"Shinji, for future reference, mooning your daughter is a bad thing, okay?" hey, I think that I've done a pretty good job parenting by myself.

"Okay, I'll keep that in mind," I grab Asuka's hand and wrap my arm around Dietlinde, "Sorry about that honey…" she perks up and reaches into her pocket.

"I almost forgot, here mom," she reached out and handed Asuka the ring I gave her earlier today. I saw Asuka smile at her new name as she takes the ring.

"Thanks Dietlinde…" I see a small tear form, but it was quickly wiped away with her wrist.

---

Car – One Hour Later

"Okay, back up. You died eleven years ago fighting an angel, you became an angel, you were cloned, then you turned back to normal?" Blaze, Asuka and Dietlinde were all sitting in the back seat with me and Asuka in the front. Her other daughter obviously had a few questions, so why not now?

"Yeah, basically…" Asuka looked over her shoulder at Blaze, "So this is the famous Blaze, huh? You know, I changed your diaper a few times!" I saw Blaze blush through my rear-view mirror, "And I also heard that you're dating my daughter…" I cut her off.

"Ah, correction, they're boyfriend and girlfriend, but they're not dating!" Asuka glares at Dietlinde for telling her 'secret'.

"Whatever, same thing. So Blaze, tell me, what were you two doing this morning?" Asuka once again glares at Dietlinde.

"Umm… w-we weren't d-doing anything…" Asuka raises an eyebrow at Blaze, "Fine… we were kissing…" Asuka slaps him on the chest, "What? Your mom was about to kill me!"

"Hey, I don't care, just know this…" Asuka leans over and whispers something in Blaze's ear. He turns white as a ghost as she leans back, "Got it?" he slowly nods.

"Now what was that for? You can't treat us like that!" Dietlinde elbows Asuka in the arm.

"Yes she can! Watch how you talk to your mother!" Asuka crosses her arms and looks out the window.

"Mother my ass… where has she been the last thirteen years?" nobody says a word the rest of the trip. When we get home Asuka storms to her room and leaves Blaze behind. He soon follows her example and walks off to his room.

"Um… I'm… sorry for Asuka's behavior…" Dietlinde looks up at her mother.

"Don't apologize…" Asuka begins to walk into the house, "She's right…" she sits down on the sofa with a blank face and leans back her head.

"Dietlinde, why don't you go to your room? I need to talk with mom…" she follows my instructions without a word. I sit down next to Asuka and wrap my arm around her, "Don't worry about Asuka… she's on her cycle right now…" I really hated when I was the one to buy the 'supplies'…

"She's right… I only have five more years with them… then they're gone…" I see a tear form in her eye, "You've done one hell of a job Shinji, really… Dietlinde's wonderful… Asuka on the other hand… she has respect issues…" she chuckles through the tear, "I guess she got that from me…" I take Asuka into my arms and hug her tight.

"She's just confused, I mean, I've been the only one for twelve years, and now she suddenly has two parents… just give it some time…" she turns her head and looks at me with a smile.

"The kids aren't around…" she wraps her arms around my neck and leans in a little, "How about we have some time together, huh?" she leans into a deep kiss, only this time, it actually lasted.

"Shinji! Man, what the hell is wrong with you?" I hear Cass walk up and he pulls me away from Asuka, "You walk in with some tramp and make out with her in our house?!" of course he didn't bother to look down!

"Nice to see you too Cass…" he whips his head towards her and damn near faints.

"Asuka? Is that you?" she nods with a smile, "Nah… couldn't be…" he leans down and looks at her closer.

"How's Sam doing?" then he faints, "And there he goes!" with a chuckle, I pick him up and lay him down on the sofa, "I couldn't tell, was he happy or sad?" right on cue, Sam walks into the living room.

"Cass? What are you yelling about?" Asuka walks up to her and puts a hand on her shoulder, "Shinji?"

"Okay, don't faint like your husband did! Long story short, died, cloning, angel, normal, here," yeah, that was about the gist of it! "Oh left out a word… Asuka," Sam goes wide eyed as expected.

"A-Asuka…?"

"Yep, Akagi cloned me… took her long enough!" Sam lunges forward and hugs Asuka, "Whoa! Calm down there!" Sam keeps herself latched onto Asuka.

"I can't believe you're back!" Asuka awkwardly hugs her back.

"Um… yeah… can I have my body back now?" Sam lets go of her with a wide smile.

"Oh my God… twelve years… twelve years without you around… it's just amazing…" just then Cass raises his head.

"Whoa… man, I just had the wildest dre-… holy crap!" he leaps up and hugs Asuka, "You're alive! YES!" he picks her up in the hug and she gets a very annoyed look on her face.

"Cass… you have three seconds to put me down… two…" he lets her down with a smile.

"Sorry… I just can't believe you're here! Let me guess, Rits worked her magic again, huh?" Asuka nodded, "Should have known! But what took her so long?"

"She didn't do anything at first because Asuka was an angel… hell, IS an angel. From now on… try not to piss her off TOO bad!" I hold my shoulder in memory of what she did, "You can ask Dietlinde that too!"

"You're an angel?" Cass looks back at her as she nods, "Awesome!" I had to admit, her angel form is creepy as hell… I wonder if it's possible for her to turn back… hopefully not…

---

Two Years Later

"Look at you! Could you be more beautiful?" Dietlinde was dressed up in a long red dress and getting ready for her first date with a boy named Jay from America. Asuka was making the final adjustments on her dress as I stared at her in aw. The dress came out of her own money, she said that she wanted it like that for some reason. It cost her a whopping fifty thousand Yen, but it was worth every dime.

"Really Dietlinde… you're beautiful…" her face turns a light shade of pink.

"Thanks…" I feel a small tear form in my eye. She was growing up… my cute daughter is really growing up… a few years from now, she'll be gone… God I love her.

"We want you home by eleven, okay?" Asuka stands up and looks down at her with a smile.

"Yeah, sure… thanks for letting me go," it took more then a month of convincing, but we finally said yes.

"Sure, but don't prove our judgment wrong. We're trusting you to go out alone with a boy, don't break that trust," as always, I was the one to make the speech. Asuka – even now – didn't feel like it was her place, saying that she 'wasn't really a parent'. Hell, even Dietlinde saw that too be bullshit!

"I won't, I promise," just then, the doorbell rings, "I think that's him…" she takes a deep breath.

"Listen, why don't you take Dietlinde upstairs for a moment?" Asuka smirks and guides Dietlinde upstairs unwillingly. I open the door to see Jay looking very nice in a tux holding a dozen roses.

"Oh… hi Mr. Ikari… I'm… uh… here to pick up Dietlinde…" I put my hand on his shoulder and guide him inside and sit him on the sofa.

"She'll be down in a minute, for now, let's just chat…" he gulped a little, "So Jay, where ya from?"

"Um… Ohio… Montpelier…" I pace back and forth in front of him.

"Oh, really? I've heard they have some pretty bad thunder storms there!" he slowly nods, "Okay, enough small talk, I want to talk with you about something. I know that you're fourteen, and I can relate to what you're thinking. But if I catch you two hugging or kissing… know this…" I lean in a little, "I've been to prison before…" he jumps back.

"D-Don't worry Mr. Ikari… I won't…" I lean back up with a smile.

"Good… honey, your date's here!" I see Dietlinde walk down the stairs slowly with a smile.

"Hey Jay…" he takes her hand in his and softly kisses her cheek. I clear my throat and he gulps once again.

"Y-You look… beautiful…" I see his eyes skim over her body… twice actually!

"Thanks…" I clear my throat once again, only a little louder, "Dad, enough of that!" I laugh.

"What? I have a sore throat!" she rolls her eyes and guides Jay out of the house, "Love you honey, have a good time!" she waves back at me as they get into the cab and drive off, "Bye…" I once again feel a tear roll down my face. Asuka wraps her arm around me and smiles.

"You okay?" I nod with a smile.

"Yeah… it's just hard seeing her grow up…" she lightly kissed me on the cheek.

"You've raised her well Shinji, she's a very fine young woman," I walk back inside and close the door. Man… seeing that car drive off was horrible. All of these years she – and Asuka – has been mine… now Blaze and Jay are taking that away from me… I mean, yes, I want to see them grow up, it's just hard, "How about I make some dinner while we wait for her to come home?"

"You're fucking kidding me!" we both turn our heads to see Asuka standing in the hallway, red with anger.

"Hey! Watch your mouth young lady!" Asuka glared at her.

"Fuck off! Why the hell can Dietlinde go on dates but I can't?! You said that I could date when I was thirteen, well I'm thirteen and you STILL won't let me and Blaze go out!" I get away from Asuka and walk towards our child.

"You apologize you your mother right now!" she crosses her arms.

"She's not my mother! She's just the person who gave birth to me! Where were you, huh? You were dead! Why couldn't you just stay like that? Nobody wants you around! Dad was perfectly happy when it was just us, but now that you're in the picture he's not!" I grab a hold of her shoulders.

"Asuka… I'm going to say this once… go to your room…" she pulls away from me and glares at me.

"Fuck you! I gave that bitch a chance for a year now, and she doesn't even pass for acceptable! Either she leaves this house or I do!" I close my eyes and take a deep breath.

"Asuka… she's my wife-" I was cut off by the yelling young girl.

"And I'm your daughter!" I see her start to cry, "I used to spend so much time with you…" she lowered her head, "All I have is Blaze… she took you away from me… please dad… come back…" she starts to cry more heavily. I take her into a hug and she accepts it, "I just want you back…"

"I've always been here sweetie… if you just ask to spend time with me, I'll drop anything else I have going on… okay?" I look down at her teary eyes. Was I really neglecting her, or was this just a side effect of her hormones?

"Promise?" I nod with a smile.

"But only if you start to respect YOUR MOTHER," I emphasized the last two words, trying to get my point across.

"Fine…" she looks around my shoulder and at her mother, "Sorry…" that wasn't just a forced sorry, I think she really meant it. Asuka walks over to her and – to my surprise – takes her into a hug.

"I love you Asuka, whether you know it or not. You're my baby, and you always will be… I'm sorry if I intruded in on your relationship with Shinji…" she leaned back and lightly kissed her forehead, "I'd like to spend some time with you eventually…" our child looks to the floor. Asuka puts her hand under her chin and raises her head, "Look at me… I know that you don't like me, but I love you with all of my heart… can we please spend at least ten minutes together some day?"

"Yeah… sure… can I go to my room?" Asuka leans back up and smiles.

"Yeah…" as she walked off Asuka muttered, "I love you Asuka…"

"I… love you too… mom…"

---

12:00 AM – Shinji/Asuka's Room

"Where the hell is she?! She's not picking up her phone, Jay's phone is dead… what the hell?!" I pace the room back and forth with my phone in hand.

"She's fine, they probably just lost track of time," Asuka – trying to calm me – made a crap excuse. We made it extremely clear to be home by eleven, and yet here she is out past midnight! I swear, she's never going on a date again! After trying her phone one last time, I give up.

"Screw this, I'm going out to find her…" without giving Asuka any time to react, I jet out of the room and head for my car. I probably left a two-inch thick layer of rubber as I screeched out of the parking lot, "I swear, when I find her, she's dead!" I go the first place that came to mind; Jay's house. Surely his parents would know if we didn't… right? When I finally get to the house I see that all the lights are off aside from one in the front. The front door was wide open so I just walk in, "Hello?" I hear some rustling coming from the room with the light on.

"Uh… oh God…" I hear someone mutter through the closed door… it sounded like a young girl… "Uh… f-faster…" I slowly open the door and scan my eyes from the floor to the bed. A long red silk dress was wadded up on the floor, and a few inches from it a pair of panties and bra laid, "AAAHHH!" I look up at the bed to see Jay on top of Dietlinde with her legs and arms wrapped around him… both down to nothing…

"D-Dietlinde…" they both whip their heads over to me and damn near faint, "Get off of her!" I pull him off of my daughter, ending with him on the floor. He wasn't even wearing a condom… nothing… I look back at Dietlinde still lying on the bed and still panting, "What the fuck were you thinking?!" she gets up and crosses her arms, trying to cover as much as she could. Please don't tell me this is happening…

"Dad, I-" I cut her off with a harsh tone.

"Go out to the car! Wait for me there!" she didn't move a muscle, "NOW!" she slowly walks out of the room, leaving behind all of her clothes. If she can deal with being naked in front of him, then she can deal with it outside!

"Who the hell are you to walk into my house without permission?" I reach down and grab his arm.

"And who the hell are you to take my daughter's virginity!? I trusted you to take her out, and you pull this!" he just rolls his eyes, "You little punk!" I punch him across the face with all I'm worth, "Get up!" he eventually made his way to his feet, "Give me one damn reason I shouldn't kick your ass right here!" he smirks a little.

"Hey, I had reason… your daughter's hot man…" I punch him again in the stomach. Without giving him any response time, I take off my belt and tie his wrists to the bed post.

"Real fucking funny now, aren't we?" I glance at the bed and see a small red spot and quickly avert my eyes. As I walk out of the room I take care to take a step on his groin, "I'll call your parents later," I talk over the yelling. When I get out to the car I see her crossing her in the passenger seat still crossing her arms. I get into the car and slam the door shut.

"Dad, listen to-" I glare over at her.

"No! I'm not going to listen to you again! He came inside you, didn't he?" she looks down, "FUCK!" I slam my hands on the steering wheel, "What the hell is wrong with you Dietlinde?" she keeps quiet as I speed off.

"What about my dress?" she looks at me with teary eyes.

"He can burn it for all I care!" she whimpers a little. As I said before, she paid for it with her own money, but frankly, I didn't care! "Is that all you're thinking about? What about the fact of you being a possible mother?" she once again whimpered.

"I'm not pregnant…"

"And how do you know that? Are you wearing a condom?" she gives me a confused look, "See! You didn't even know that you COULD wear a condom, did you?" she once again looks down, "I was lenient as hell on what you wore; V-cut collars, tight pants, tight shirts, I even saw you wear a thong a few times, but I let it all go! I trusted that you wouldn't give anything up, but on your first Goddamn date you fuck a guy!" I once again slam my hands on the steering wheel in anger, "That's it, all of those clothes are gone! I don't care if you bought them or not!" I pull into the parking lot and glare down at her.

"But that's not fair!"

"Not fair? How fair is it that now I have to pay for you to get a checkup, huh? You're going in tomorrow to see if you're pregnant, and if you are, you're not getting an abortion. Got it?" please for the love of God don't be pregnant…

"Yeah…" I get out of the car and open her door.

"Get inside and get dressed. We're far from done here!" she slowly walks in the house in the cold night air. I follow soon after her and slam the door behind me, sending a few picture frames falling to the floor, "When you're done get back out here," she hurries to her room, passing her wide eyed mother on the way.

"Please don't tell me…" I sit down on the sofa and lean my head back, "Did she…?" I slowly nod and she gasps. I get up and look at my pale wife.

"Oh, that's not even the worst of it! That little punk Jay didn't even bother to pull out!" Asuka sits on the sofa and buries her face in her hands.

"I knew this was going to happen…" just then, Dietlinde comes walking out of her room in loose fitting night clothes. Asuka leaps up and grabs her shoulders, "Why the hell did you let him stay inside?! If you were going to do that, at least have him pull out!" Dietlinde's eyes were full of tears and her bottom lip was quivering.

"I'm… s-sorry…" Asuka lets her go and looks back at me.

"What do we do here Shinji?" I walk next to her and glare down at Dietlinde.

"Like I already told her, she's going in for an exam tomorrow. All of her revealing clothes are gone, I think a few families will be happy to have them. Go pack them up Dietlinde and put them in a plastic bag, we're going right now to drop them off at the shelter," even Asuka gasped a little.

"Daddy… don't make me do that…" I hold my arm in the air pointing to her room.

"Either you do it or I do… it's your choice…" with tears running down her face, she walks into her room.

"Shinji… don't you think that's a little drastic? I mean, what is she going to wear?" I continue to stare at my formerly pure child's room.

"Sweats. We're going to pick them up tonight as well after she drops off her old clothes," Asuka glares up at me.

"She'll be the laughing stock of the whole school! You can't do that to your own daughter!" I glare right back at her. I came so close to saying that I was the one to raise these children, not her… but I refrained from it.

"Then this won't happen in the future, now will it?" Asuka takes a deep sigh and loses the glare.

"But… to do THAT…" I lean down and whisper in Asuka's ear.

"I'm not giving them away, I'm just keeping them at NERV until she earns them back," she gives a weak smile as I lean up, "But she is going to school in sweats for awhile, I'm not budging on that…" Dietlinde comes back out of the room holding a trash bag full of her clothes. She was still crying fairly hard, but I tried to brush it off. She had to be disciplined, I wasn't going to let this go.

"Please… don't make me get rid of them…" I guide her out of the house.

"Come on… go get in the car," with a small whimper she walks out of the house, "We'll be back in a little bit, don't wait up," I close the door behind me following a weeping Dietlinde, "I'm not doing this to be cruel…" she gets in with the bag on her lap in silence, "You do know that, right?" I pull out of the parking lot, this time calmly.

"Yeah… but…" she lowers her head a little more and cries harder. With a sigh, I pull to a side road and look into my daughter's teary eyes. I hated seeing her like this… I really couldn't stand it…

"Were you even ready for it?" she closes her eyes and shakes her head, "Then why'd you do it?" she finally looks at me.

"Because I thought I was… when he actually started… I thought that it was too late to back out…" I lean over and hug her.

"Was he even gentle with you?" she cries into my shoulder and shakes her head.

"I didn't… know it would hurt so bad… I tried to tell him, but he said that it'd get better…" why did she have to go through this? I mean, yes, it was her decision, but from the sounds of it she would have stopped if given the opportunity.

"And it didn't, did it?" she takes a short pause to let a few extra tears run.

"It did… that's why I kept going…" she takes a few minutes and cries freely into my shoulder. How is it that my sweet little daughter lost her virginity at this age? I mean, me and Asuka may have had sex at fifteen, but we were both able to take care of our child. Dietlinde on the other hand can't, my benefit of having my family supported ends at one generation, and that means Dietlinde will have to get a job… would she become a single parent? Jay's parents would force him to pay child support, but would the father be there? Now that I really doubt, "Why did I do it? I… don't want a baby… I don't want to be a mother!" I hold her a little closer to my body.

"Shhhh… just calm down…" I say that, and here I am freaking out! Seriously, chances are that she's pregnant! "It wasn't worth it, was it?" she slowly shakes her head. I lean back and look at her teary eyes, "I'm going to take you home and you go straight to bed, okay? We'll go to the doctor's tomorrow morning," she nods and I begin to drive home.

"Dad…?" she stared at the ground, "I love you…"

---

The Next Day

"Dietlinde, wake up honey," I lightly nudge her shoulder. Within the next hour, she'll either be off the hook or in deeper shit then she has ever been… "Dietlinde, wake up," she slowly opens her eyes and smiles.

"Hi dad…" unfortunately, she wasn't met with a smiling face, "Oh…"

"Go ahead and get dressed," I try to sound as caring as possible, but I know I was failing because her face was already starting to look depressed, "Don't worry, I'm not going to yell today. If you're pregnant, we can't change it. Yelling won't solve anything," she gave me a weak smile and got out of bed.

"Thanks…" I get up and leave the room, I saw enough of her last night! Seriously, I don't care if she's my daughter or not, that was just wrong. Asuka was still asleep, and my other daughter was outside with Blaze… making out no doubt. I sit on the sofa and wait for Dietlinde. I hear a car pull up in our drive way then a few seconds later the doorbell rings… and suddenly I get pissed… hm… I open it to see Jay and his parents looking quite pissed.

"Hello Mr. Ikari… I believe we have some matters to discuss…" I let them inside and the three take a seat on the sofa, "From my understanding you broke into our house when we were away and needlessly beat on our son…" what the hell did this punk tell them?!

"Whoa, back up. For one, the door was open, and two, he didn't tell you the whole story!" they both glare down at him.

"Was he with Dietlinde?" I nod with eyes that could kill, "What did I tell you about that?! Your little make-out sessions are really getting on our nerves!" wait… what?

"That's not what they did," I cross my arms and look down at him, "Why don't you share with your parents Jay? What were you doing with my daughter?" he blushes deeply and looks down. Just then Dietlinde walks out of her room and sees Jay and his parents… perfect timing!

"Hey Dietlinde…" that little punk actually had the nerve to… oh, I swear…

"You shut your mouth! Jay's obviously not going to tell you, so I will! Last night I walked in on these two having sex! Your perfect little son here didn't even bother to pull out!" both of his parents gasp, "Dietlinde's going for a checkup right now to see if she's pregnant or not… actually, I think it would be a nice idea for Jay come along with us if that's okay with you two," I want him to feel what I'm feeling right now…

"Yeah, he's going, and when he gets back he's going straight to boot camp. My father did that to me when I was younger, and I feel like it worked pretty well," Jay went completely pale, "And I was eighteen! Not some fourteen year old!" looks like Jay's going to get it bad… yes!

"Okay, come on, we're leaving," Dietlinde walks next to me with her head hung low and Jay's parents get up.

"Thank you for your time, I apologize for my son's behavior…" his mother was simply horrified by all of this, "Follow Mr. Ikari Jay," I put my arm around Dietlinde to show that I wasn't yelling at her and she let out a small smile. When we all get in my car I have Jay sit in the back with Dietlinde up front with me.

"Tell me Jay, if my daughter is pregnant, what do you plan on doing?" he shifted in his seat as I drove.

"I don't plan on doing shit. She's the one that made me come in her, I was planning on pulling out," to my surprise, Dietlinde whipped around and slapped him.

"That's bullshit and you know it! I don't care if I had my legs around you or not, you could have pulled out!" I see him shrug.

"Like it matters, I'm not taking care of the baby. I refuse to raise a child with a bitch like you!" Dietlinde sighs and sits back.

"Dad… pull over… now…" with a smirk, I follow her instructions. Calmly, she undoes her seat belt and – less calmly – leaps to the back seat and starts to pummel Jay, "You son of a bitch!" I think I'll excuse her language for today… after about five minutes of her kicking his ass, I speak up.

"Okay Dietlinde, come on, we're going to be late," she sighs and comes back up to the front seat, "Have fun?" she nods with a smile. Jay comes back up with a bloody nose, black eyes, and bruises all over him. Like an idiot, he sits behind Dietlinde… and she puts the seat back all the way, "You're just like your mother!" she lets out a little laugh as I drive off.

"Now who's the bitch? You just got beat up by a girl…" I couldn't help but laugh. Seriously, she was exactly like her mother! The rest of the ride was in silence… that is until we got to the hospital, "Okay, get out of the car," she looks back at him as he does as he was told. We get out ourselves and begin to walk to the hospital, "Ah! No, you're gonna crawl, got it?" he raised an eyebrow at her, "You heard me! Get down!" I once again laugh.

"Goddamnit…" he mutters as he gets down on all fours.

"See dad? I can take care of him myself!" when we get into the hospital Jay got more then a few stares.

"You ready?" I wrap my arm around her and give her a caring look.

"No… but I don't really have a choice here…" we walk – one crawls – to the front counter and a woman walks up to us with a smile.

"Well good morning! What can I do for you?" I look down at Dietlinde.

"We… need a pregnancy test…" she was actually the one to answer! The woman loses the smile and slaps her forehead.

"That's the third one today… okay, follow me," she guides us to a small room and passed a confused glance at Jay, "Um… just wait in here… the doctor will be in shortly…" Dietlinde takes a seat on the raised bench and looks down, obviously worried. I walk over to her and put my hand on her cheek.

"Dietlinde…" she looks at me with teary eyes, "It'll be okay… I promise…" I lightly kiss her forehead.

"Dad… what am I going to do if I'm pregnant? What about school?" school has always been important to her, she's been a straight A student her whole life… her ending goal was to work as a doctor for NERV… if she's pregnant, none of that will matter…

"I'll find a way… just know that no matter what happens, I'm here for you… so is your mother…" she lunges at me and hugs me tight, crying into my shoulder.

"Okay, room two-o-one… pregnancy test…" a doctor holding a clipboard walks in, "Okay let's-… do you need a few minutes?" he sees Dietlinde crying into my shoulder and backs up a bit.

"No… just hurry up…" Dietlinde pulls away from me and looks at him. Did it have to be a male doing this?

"Okay… I'll need this boy to leave though," without a word, Jay gets up and runs out of the room, closing the door behind him, "Okay, your name is…?"

"Dietlinde Ikari…" he jots a few things on the clipboard and sets it down on the counter, "Okay Dietlinde, I'll need you to lay down and take off your pants…" with tears still in her eyes – and now a blush on her face – she does as she was told. I take a seat behind her head, trying to give her SOME privacy, "Um… sorry, but the underwear too…"she closes her eyes as she reaches down, "Okay, this'll only take a few minutes…" he rolls over a small cart of tools and begins. Dietlinde clenched her eyes shut the entire time; apparently it's painful. After a few minutes he pulls back and looks at her, "Okay, now I'll need a urine sample and then we're done here," we both close our eyes as she gets up and puts back on her clothes. When she was done he hands her a small cup and she leaves the room, "Mr. Ikari…" he looks at me after she's gone, "I had her leave so I could talk with you… I'm sorry… she's pregnant…" I close my eyes and lean m head back.

"Damnit…" her whole life… all of her goals, all of her achievements… they mean nothing now… a few mines later Dietlinde comes back in the room and the doctor leaves after taking the cup.

"Dad? Are you okay?" I stand up and look down at her.

"Sit down…" she gets back up on the bench and I take her in a hug, "I'm sorry… I'll do what I can to help you…" she gasps and tenses up.

"No… please don't tell me that…" she pulls back and looks at me, "Please tell me I'm not pregnant… please…" I slowly shake my head and she buries her face in her hands, "FUCK!" I've never seen her cry so hard… this is hell for both us, "My life if fucked! Why did it have to be with him? Him of all Goddamn people!" the doctor walks back into the room and guides me away from her and out of ear-shot.

"Mr. Ikari…" I cut him off.

"Can we have the morning after pill done?" yes, I was against abortion, but this was going to ruin her life, and I won't let that happen.

"You mean an emergency contraception? We aren't allowed to do that unless she's a rape victim," I raise my eyebrow, "Oh… well, you'll need to sign a few papers, I'll go get them," he leaves the room and I sit down next to Dietlinde.

"Dietlinde… I'm going to offer something to you… do you want an abortion?" her head pops up, "It's all up to you, if you want it, I won't lecture you, I won't even talk about it. So what will it be?" she looks up at me with still crying eyes.

---

Four Years Later

"Look at my babies! All dressed up and going to their proms!" both of the girls blush at Asuka's comment. It's over… Dietlinde's leaving in two months… she was accepted into Stanford University in America, and she's leaving in two months… I can't even think about it without crying anymore! I really wasn't ready to lose her yet, but I didn't have a choice. Asuka was having trouble with it too; she can't stand to see Dietlinde go. We do have a sense of gratification though, she's going with a major in medicine. Looks like she really is going to be working at NERV!

Asuka was in a long black dress that had a slit going up her left leg – a little too revealing for my tastes, but she IS seventeen after all. Dietlinde was in a blood-red dress with a low V-cut collar, once again, a little too revealing for me, but she's an adult! I actually cried on her eighteenth birthday!

"Okay girls, I know I'm about to be yelled at, but here," I pull out two small packages and hold them out to my daughters.

"DAD! Condoms? Come on!" Asuka blushed deeply, but Dietlinde simply smiled.

"Grow up already, thanks dad," she took one and put it in her purse, "I doubt we'll need them though…" yeah, Dietlinde's already learned her lesson on that!

"Ugh… fine…" Asuka takes hers and puts in her cleavage. Both me and Asuka raise an eyebrow at her, "What? I don't have a purse! What do you expect me to do?" I just chuckle.

"You two grew up way too fast for me… Junior and Senior Prom…" Dietlinde walks up and hugs me.

"No matter how much I grow up…" she leans back and smiles at me, "You'll always be my daddy…" she lightly kissed my cheek, making a tear roll down my face, "I love you dad…"

"I love you too honey…" she let go of me and hugged her mother.

"I don't care what anyone says… you're an awesome mother… thank you for coming back… I love you so much…" I saw Asuka shed a tear of her own.

"I love you too Dietlinde…" Dietlinde leans back and chuckles.

"You still punch like a wimp though…" Asuka chuckled herself as she wiped her tear away. Just then, the doorbell rings… and my heart sinks. Dietlinde's last prom… her last date with me around… it's killing me, "I think that's for me…" she opened the door to a very clean-cut man. She's been dating him for four years now, and I can really see them married one day, "Hey T…" she leaned in and pecked his cheek. His real name was Takajin, but T has become his little petname by Dietlinde.

"Wow… you look… beautiful…" Dietlinde blushes at his comment, "Hi Mr. Ikari," he put out his hand and shook mine.

"Hi… are you going to take care of my daughter?" we both laugh. It's been an inside joke between me and him ever since their first date. I gave him the same speech I did to Jay… only that time I had a shotgun in my hands…

"Yep, I promise! Hey, is Blaze ready yet? Didn't you two need a ride?" Asuka crosses her arms and looks at Blaze's room.

"Sure as hell better be ready!" Blaze comes running out of the room, slipping on his last shoe.

"Sorry about that, I couldn't find my shoes…" T rolls his eyes and sighs. Blaze and him aren't exactly good friends… okay, they hate each other. Last year Blaze killed T's dog while on a hunting trip when he was screwing around with the gun… the rest is history.

"Can we go then?" Dietlinde looks up at T and grabs his hand.

"Hey man, drop the attitude already," here we go again…

"Hey, I'm the one giving YOU a ride, or would you rather walk?" Blaze shuts his mouth… thank God! "Ugh… whatever, let's just go," Asuka and Blaze walk out of the house hand in hand, leaving Dietlinde and T behind, "Hey Dietlinde, why don't you meet me in the car? I need to speak with your father for a moment," she pecks him on the cheek and smiles.

"Okay, don't be too long though," she runs her finger across his chest, "I'll be waiting…" I really hated it when she did her seductive voice around me! When she leaves T closes the door behind her.

"You needed to speak with me?" he begins to blush.

"Well… both of you actually… I really love Dietlinde, and I know she feels the same way… I wanted to ask you something…" I reaches in his pocket and pulls out a small black box, "Can I… marry your daughter?" he opens it to show a large diamond set in white gold.

"Wow… well…" Asuka began to trip over her words, "I say yes… you seem like a very nice young man, and I really do believe that you'll take care of her… what about you Shinji?" I avert my eyes from the ring and look at him with a smile.

"Takajin…" I put my hand on his shoulder, "If she says yes… I'm okay with it…" I feel yet another tear roll down my face.

"Thank you… I'll take care of her, I promise…" he slips the ring back in his pocket and shakes my hand, "Bye," he gives Asuka a small wave before leaving the house. Asuka wraps her arm around my shoulder and leans her head on me.

"I think she'll do just fine…" tears start to flow a little harder as I smile.

"Yeah… she will…"

---

11:00 PM – That Night

"Dad… wake up…" I open my eyes to the scene of Dietlinde smiling down at me. We must have fallen asleep waiting for them to come back…

"Oh… hey honey…" she was smiling ear to ear… I know what just happened.

"He asked me daddy… he asked me to marry him…" she holds up her hand, now decorated with that ring, "I'm engaged!" I smile at her. My daughter's grown up… she doesn't need me anymore…

"Congratulations… I'm so proud of you Dietlinde… you really have no idea," she blushes, "You grew up to be a fine young woman… and I'll miss you…" she leaned back up and walked into her room, "Bye Dietlinde…" with tears in my eyes, I lean my head back. After a few minutes, I feel someone sitting next to me and wrapping my arm around them. I open my eyes to see Dietlinde in night clothes smiling up at me.

"I'll miss you too daddy… I love you…" she nuzzles her head in the crook of my neck. I pull her a little closer and smile, "I'll always be your baby… no matter what happens…" with Dietlinde on one side of me and my wife on the other, I fall asleep with a smile on my face. I may be losing her, but all the time we spent together – moments like this – I'll keep forever.

---

8:00 AM – The Next Morning

"Dad! Wake up!" I jump out of my skin as Dietlinde yells. She wasn't at my side anymore, instead she stood in front of my holding a letter. She was crying… pretty heavily actually. I leap up – ending with Asuka laying down on the sofa, still asleep – and grab the letter from her.

_I'm sick of trying… I'm really sick of it. No matter what I do, it's never enough. I get good grades, I get brushed aside. I get awards, I get brushed aside. I go to the prom, I'm ignored. No matter what I do, I'm always outclassed and beat. What have I ever done that I received praise for? Absolutely nothing. I'm always beat by your first, and I can see why. She's perfect in every way. She's beautiful, she's smart, and now she's getting married to the perfect husband. What do I have? An immature little boy that clings to me like a lost puppy. I give up. You won. You finally won Dietlinde. Have a nice life, I know you will. _

_-Asuka Ikari (the useless one)_

"Oh my… God…" I drop the letter and look back at a crying Dietlinde, "Do you know where she is?" she slowly nods and points to Asuka's room. With shaking legs, I walk into her room and nearly faint at the gory sight.

'I tried so hard…' was written across the wall in a dark red. On the bed was my daughter… knife still in hand, and blood still dripping from both wrists… her eyes were still open, and full of tears.

"Asuka…" she was still in the beautiful black dress I bought for her… I slowly make my way to her and collapse to my knees, burying my face in her stomach, "Asuka!" I did this… I really did neglect her… she warned me, she begged to spend time with me… I saw all the signs… and I still ignored them… I lean back up and hug her tight. Why did I do this to her? I could have prevented this… she even asked me too… "AHHH! Asuka!"

"Dad… dy…" I lean back to see her with a weak smile, "I… finally got it… I finally… got your attention…" she closed her eyes, "Finally…"

"Asuka! Asuka, open your eyes! Please!" her body goes limp in my arms, "Asuka!" I take her into another hug. That's all she wanted… all she wanted was to be with me… that's all…

"Shinji? What's-…" I turn to see Asuka in the door way pale as a ghost.

"She just… wanted me… that's it…" I begin to hug her again, "Please come back… please… I'll change… I'll spend all my time with you… I promise… just come back!" I sob into her shoulder, "ASUKA!"

---

One Week Later

"Shinji, come on, get up, it's been four days now. At least look at me," I roll over in bed facing away from Asuka. I killed my daughter… I actually killed her… and all I needed to do to prevent it was spend a few hours a day with her… she was right… I never did praise her for anything. I didn't go to her middle school graduation, and why? Because I had to go to NERV to sign a few Goddamn papers. But with Dietlinde that wasn't the case, I almost got fired for missing a meeting with congress to go to her graduation. Did I play favorites? I never thought I did… but looking back… it's obvious. I did play favorites, with Asuka on the short end. I hear another person walk into the room and sit next to me.

"Dad… it wasn't your fault… you know that Asuka never had a stable mind," she put her hand on my arm, "Please dad, get up…" I don't make a move, "Dad, look at me," she made me turn my head and look at her, "Remember when she was nine and it was her birthday? What did you do for her?" I almost forgot about that… when I didn't speak up, she answered for me, "You actually took her in an Eva and you flew her around for a good two hours. I know that cost you an arm and leg, but you didn't care, did you? Seeing her smile was enough, wasn't it?" it was…

"But that was one time…" she shook her head with a smile.

"How deep are you thinking? Just last week you bought her a dress that was expensive as hell, even though they had a cheaper one that looked the same. Dad, she was never mentally healthy, you know that. Though she was never tested for it, I can guarantee you that she had OCD. She blew things WAY out of proportion; you were always there for both of us, not just me. You can even ask Sam or Cass, you loved her, and you showed it. Now please dad, just get up," I sit up in bed and look at her with teary eyes.

"But she saw it as my fault… in her mind, I wasn't there…" she hugs me softly.

"Dad… you were always there, she just didn't see it…" I hug her back and see Cass in the doorway, obviously hurt. He helped raise her from birth, I'm sure he was hurting like hell too.

"Shinji… I'm so sorry…" Dietlinde lets go of me and looks back at him, "Hey Dietlinde… are you three doing okay?" Asuka slowly nods and so does Dietlinde, "Shinji… you do know that it wasn't you fault, right?" I nod, still crying.

"But I still could have saved her…" they all sigh.

"Will you please stop with that? Yes, she was my daughter and I feel like crap about it, but I'm placing the blame on anyone here and neither is anyone else! That was Asuka's choice, not yours, so will you please stop the sulking bullshit?! It's really getting on my nerves!" everyone – including myself – was staring at Asuka with wide eyes, "What? Don't tell me I'm the only one thinking that!" they all give a small nod.

"Well… she's being harsh… but she's right," Dietlinde looks back at me, "Come on dad, quit blaming yourself already."

"I'm trying… but I just can't shake it…" Dietlinde brings me to my feet and looks at me with a serious face.

"Dad… I'm sorry, but let… it… go! Were you the one being targeted in that letter? No, I was! If anything, I should be the one sulking! I made her feel like crap, I took the spotlight, I outclassed her in everything she tried…" I saw tears form in her eyes, "She hated me…" she regained her composure quickly, "But I still refuse to let it ruin my life! Yes, I loved her like she never knew, but I'm not going to let her effect me into seclusion!" though she wasn't yelling AT me, I've never seen her raise her voice like this, "Mom, can you leave for a second?" Asuka nods and guides Cass out of the room, shutting the door behind her, "Listen, I've had this with me ever since she died, I think you need it more then me," she reached in her pocket and pulled out a small picture and handed it to me, "That was last year…" I couldn't help but smile. It was a picture of me, Asuka and Dietlinde at the beach. They were on either side of me with their arm around me shoulder… we all looked so happy… the only thing that possibly could have made it better was if my wife was in it…

"I forgot about this…" I remember that day… I almost got into a fight after some guy tried to cop a feel on Asuka! Hell, I even remember buying the bikinis! That was the first day that I realized just how old they are, and how soon they'll be gone.

"See how happy you made her? You were her world," she leans her head on my shoulder, "And you're my world… dad, I feel like now I'm losing you to Asuka. You've spent a week in this bed, only getting up to eat once a day and use the bathroom… that's it… accept her death and move on…" she let go of me and began to walk out of the bedroom, "When you do, I'll be here. My graduation is in four days, you don't have to go, but I'd like it if you did… I love you… good luck," with that, she closed the door behind her, leaving me alone. Good luck… my daughter was actually wishing ME good luck on the week of her graduation… I need to fix this. I get out of bed and change into a better looking outfit. Asuka was gone, and there was nothing I could do to change that, but what I can do is make it so the rest of my family KNOWS I love them and prevent anything like this happening again. When I walk out I was immediately brought into a tight hug by Dietlinde.

"Hi honey…I'm sorry I put you all through this… are you okay?" she shakes her head as she begins to cry.

"I was trying to be strong… I really was… but I miss her so much…" this whole time I've been sulking myself, and here my own daughter has been holding in her emotions for me… who is the parent here?

"I know honey… we all do… how's Blaze taking this?" she leaned back and wiped away a few tears.

"He ran away… Sam and Cass put out a search for him, but no one has even seen him…" ah shit…

"How are they taking it?" she looks back at Sam and Cass's room.

"Cass is depressed, but he's okay… I wish I could say the same about Sam… she hasn't spoken to anyone but Cass since he left, and even then she's only said a few words. I'm really worried about her," I swear, Blaze will be the death of me, "She's laying on the sofa right now… you wanna go talk to her?" I peck Dietlinde on the forehead and smile.

"Yeah… I want to talk with you when I'm done though, okay?" wiping away a tear, she nods and smiles. I walk down the hallway to see Sam lying on the sofa with her eyes closed and Asuka sitting in a chair next to her. Cass was in the kitchen making some meal. Without a word, I sit next to Sam and look down at her, "Hey Sam… how are you doing?" she didn't say a word, but I knew she was awake, "Sam… I know what you're going through. I've lost both of my daughters, but Blaze isn't dead, he's out there somewhere."

"She's not going to talk," I look up at Asuka to see her staring down at Sam, "I've tried, she'll only talk to Cass," I put a hand on Sam's cheek.

"Sam, come on," a loud screeching sound from a car's tired outside echoes through the house, "Damn kids…" the screeching came to a stop and we hear yelling outside.

"You're dead you son of a bitch!" what the hell was going on outside? I hear a loud banging at the door, "Open this door damnit!" I get up and quietly walk into the kitchen and grab a gun on top of the fridge.

"Cass, go take Sam and Asuka in your room, I have a bad feeling about this," just as I walk back into the living room the banging stops and they kick down the door."Where the fuck is he!? That fucker killed my brother!" there were three men, all with guns. Two with pistols and the one yelling with a large shotgun. I raise my gun to them and they do the same.

"Who are you looking for?" I glance back at Sam and Asuka to see them frozen, "Get in the back room, now," just as Asuka got up, one man turned and pointed the gun at her.

"You're staying right there until you tell us where Blaze is," we all keep quiet, "NOW!"

"He ran away a few weeks ago, why?"

"He killed my brother and now I'm returning the favor," the blaring sound of gunfire ran through the house. I only got in a few shots before getting shot myself. Asuka threw herself to the floor and Sam simply laid there. A few seconds later, they all stopped and ran out of the house, the car speeding away as they left. I get up while holding the bullet wound on my stomach.

"A-Asuka… are you okay…?" she looks up at me and nods with tears in her eyes, "Sam…?" no response, "Sam… please talk…" I walk in front of the sofa to see bullet holes all over her torso, "Sam…" Cass rushes over and props her up.

"Sam! Please talk! Please!" still nothing.

"Asuka, call an ambulance," I finally fall to my knees and onto my stomach.

---

Two Days Later – 12:00 PM

"Dad… please wake up… don't die…" I feel a heavy weight on my stomach and a slight wet spot, "Wake up…" when I open my eyes I see Dietlinde with her face buried in my shirt – now a hospital gown. With a weak smile, I put my hand on her back and she perks up, "Dad!" she lunged at me and embraced me in a tight hug.

"Hey honey…" she cries into my shoulder, "How you doing?"

"I'm fine… so is mom… I thought you were going to die…" I lean her up and wipe away a tear with my thumb.

"What about Sam and Cass?" she once again lowers her head, "Are they okay?"

"Cass is fine… but… Sam was dead by the time the paramedics got there… a shotgun to the heart… she didn't suffer…" I feel my heart sink to my stomach. Sam was gone? She can't be… she was like a sister to me… she can't be dead…

"Fuck…" I feel tears start to run down my face, "H-How's Cass taking it?"

"Actually, he seems pretty good for someone in his situation. He's secluded himself from the rest of the world, but he will talk every now and then, I guess that's the only good news," just then, Asuka walks in the room to see Dietlinde crying along with myself.

"See, I told you he'd be okay. It takes more then one bullet to take him out… hell, it takes more then a warhead!" we both chuckle a little, but Dietlinde was left in the dust. We never told her many of the problems me and Asuka went through because we were afraid that it might freak her out.

"Do I even want to know?" I think that the story might distract from what's going on…

"Well, you know that story we told you about you being a clone?" she nods with a raised eyebrow, "Well… that kinda happened to me too. You see, while you were still dead, SEELE made one final attack, and it ended with me being killed by a warhead. So basically… we're a family made of science! None of us were born naturally," Dietlinde let out a small chuckle.

"That's so like you dad, making jokes about that!" we all have a good laugh, and soon after, I struggle to my feet, "Dad, lay down, you need to rest," using the wall as support, I walk towards the door.

"I… need to talk with Cass… you two wait in here. I'll be back," when I get out into the hall I see him sitting on a chair, resting his head on his hands, covering his eyes. I take a seat next to him, but he doesn't even seem to notice, "Hey…"

"She's really gone… my wife is really dead…" I see a tear seep through his closed fingers. I put my hand on his shoulder and feel him shaking, "Tell me that this a dream… please…"

"Dad…?" a young man's voice could be heard a little ways down the hallway, "Where's mom…?" Cass shoots up his head towards his son with anger that I've never seen before, "What happened…?" Cass leaps up and jets towards his son, grabbing him by the collar and slams him against the wall, "What the hell?!"

"You son of a bitch! You killed her!" tears run fully down his face, "You killed my wife!" he slams Blaze against the wall once again, "Men came to our house looking for your sorry ass and they shot your mother! She was heartbroken when you left, she wouldn't even talk to me…" he drops a pale Blaze and falls to his knees, "The look on her face… it was like she didn't have a soul…"

"Dad…" Blaze holds out his hand, offering to help his father up.

"Don't you call me that…" Cass looks up, "Don't you ever fucking call me that again!" Blaze backs up a step and his eyes go wide, "You're not my son… you're just… nothing to me…" okay, Cass may be going a little far right now.

"Cass, you don't mean that," I finally speak up through all the anger.

"Yes I do… this sorry piece of shit isn't my son… my son is gone…"

---

Two Days Later – Dietlinde's High School

"And now, representing the class of twenty-twenty nine, please give a warm welcome to your valedictorian Asuka Ikari!" walking onto the stage with a gold gown, my beautiful daughter took her diploma and shook the principal's hand. A wave of applause grew over the crowd, including clapping form Cass. He has tried to live his normal life since Sam died and Blaze went to military school, and he's done a fairly good job.

"Thank you," she began as the applause died down, "I've had so many memories here, and I'm truly sad to be leaving, but I leave in my place a generation of students, ready to go on with the production of Japan," she – of course – was speaking of all the freshman she helped her senior year. She formed this club to help new students cope with their new high school experience, and she single handedly raised the test scores by thirty percent, "Now, as a few of you know," she said in a slightly teasing voice, "Something big has happened to me in the last couple weeks…" a slight blush came over her face. I saw all of her friends giggle and whisper among themselves, knowing what was about to happen, "Can you come up here Takajin? I think we should tell them now…" her husband to be came up onto the stage and took her hand, "As a few of you saw, on prom night Takajin… well…" she help up her left hand to show the ring, "We're getting married!" after a few seconds of silence, a roar of applause was thrown over that audience.

"I would like to thank a certain man though," Takajin spoke into the microphone, "Thank you Shinji Ikari for letting me propose to her, I really appreciate it," he was such a polite boy… he'll make Dietlinde happy, I just know it. The two walked off the stage and onto the platform where the last senior picture was to be made. As they all threw up their hats together, a photographer took the picture.

"You've done one hell of a job Shinji…" Asuka began to speak in my ear, "She's going to be an amazing woman."

"Thanks… I'm really going to miss her…" Asuka pecks me on the cheek as we get up to meet our daughter. When we get over to the young couple, seeing their fingers locked instantly gave me a smile, "Look at my baby…" I hug Dietlinde tight and she copies the motion. I pull back and shake Takajin's hand, "Hey, Mind if I have a quick word with you?"

"Sure Shinji, what is it?" I guide him away from earshot of Dietlinde and put my hand on his shoulder, "Now, as you know, Dietlinde had a little… well, 'incident' on her first date…" he nods and his face droops quite a bit, remembering the words that Dietlinde told him, "As you can understand, I've been very protective of her since that day. I just want the truth from you, I won't get angry, I promise… have you slept with Dietlinde?" he went a little pale and blushed at the question.

"Well… um… if you mean have I had sex with her… then… no…" okay then, what? He wouldn't be acting like this if nothing has ever happened!

"Listen, I understand that both of you are adults and that you both have desires. What exactly HAVE you done? Oh, by the way, I do know about the night that she spent the night at your house early this year," I knew that Dietlinde tried to hide it from me, I just never confronted it.

"Oh… well… see, we didn't have sex, but I have seen her… let's say 'fully'… but I promise that we didn't have sex, I wouldn't lie to you," somehow, I knew that he was telling the truth.

"I know you wouldn't, I was just checking," by now, his face was bright red, "Now, why don't you two go out with your friends? You deserve to have some fun," with a smile, he walks off, pecks Dietlinde on the lips and they walk up to a group of friends, hand in hand.

---

Three Years Later – Beach – 2:00 PM

"Hey dad…?" she looks up at me as I finish putting a small flower in her hair, "Is it normal to feel like vomiting right now…?" I couldn't help but chuckle at the familiar quote, "Seriously…"

"Yeah, that'll go away eventually…" I back up and look at my blushing daughter, "You look so beautiful…" her bright white dress and sparkling blue eyes only made her all the more stunning, "Are you ready?" she takes my hand and smiles.

"As I'll ever be…" before we walk out of the room, she takes a deep breath and wraps her arm through mine. As the traditional music stars to play, I was able to hear Dietlinde's breath racing and feel her heart doing the same thing through her wrist.

"Don't worry… see? Look at Takajin, he's waiting for you," she lets out a wide smile, "You'll do one hell of a job as a wife, you know that?" somehow, she manages to blush even deeper, "Good luck honey," I release her when we get to the end of the runway and take my seat next to my crying wife, "Don't cry, you're going to set me off…" she chuckles a little, but keeps quiet.

"We are gathered here today to join Dietlinde Ikari and Takajin Sato in holy matrimony," I feel my eyes start to water, but I try and hold it back. The priest turns to Takajin and looks at him with a blank face, "Takajin Sato, do you take Dietlinde Ikari to be your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold from this day forward, for better or worse, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?" Takajin looks at his bride with a smile.

"Absolutely…" The priest turns to Dietlinde and gives her the same look.

"Dietlinde Ikari, do you take Takajin Sato to be your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold from this day for-" Dietlinde cuts in.

"Yes!" flung her arms around Takajin's neck and kisses him deeply, lifting her left leg in the air as she did.

"You… may now kiss the bride…" he finally breaks a smile. A wave of applause roars through the field. Both me and Asuka stand up applauding. It was only after I stood up that I realized I was crying… pretty heavily too. Takajin and Dietlinde run down the red carpet hand in hand and into the limo. Dietlinde smiles at me one last time and mouths the words 'I'll call you tonight' before the limo drives off towards their hotel, where they'll be spending their honeymoon. I feel arms wrap around my neck from behind and a head resting on my shoulder.

"She's grown up on us Shinji… she's going off to have her own family now…" the though of her having kids made me shudder for some reason… probably because of the pain factor; I'd never want to see her go through that.

"I know… I'm just not ready for it…" she kisses my cheek and whispers in my ear.

"How about we go home, lie on the couch and just relax? Just you and me? I think Cass is going out to eat somewhere…" I smile through my light tears and turn around, pecking her on the cheek after I do.

"Sure, let's go," hand in hand, we walk towards the car.

---

12:00 AM – Home

I clutch my cell phone in my hand, hoping for the ringing to start. Asuka has long since fallen asleep on my shoulder while watching the news, so I sit here – alone – in the darkness. I had some company when Cass came home, but all it made me do is become depressed. His bloodshot, vodka filled eyes stumbled into this house not ten minutes ago, leading his drunken body down the hall and into his lonely bedroom. He didn't seem to notice that I was even there, but he was mumbling something to himself about 'the family he could have had'.

"Mmmm…" Asuka nuzzles her face into the crook of my neck further, "I love you too… Shinji…" I just had to smile after hearing that. She opens her eyes half way and looks up at me squinting, "Shinji? What are you still doing up?"

"I was waiting for Dietlinde to call…" I fake a smile, "I guess she forgot, huh?" Asuka lays her head back down, but still keeps her eyes on mine.

"No, she probably just got wrapped up with Takajin… remember our honeymoon?" okay, I'd REALLY rather not think of my daughter like that… "I'm sure she'll call you in the morning, don't worry about her… let's go to bed…" I stand up and stretch my arms. She looks up at me with a smile and those same half closed eyes, "Carry me?"

"Sure…" with a smile, I pick her up and carry her to our room, then letting her down onto the bed gently, "I love you Asuka…" crawl into the bed next to her and set my phone next to my on the night stand, "I really wish Dietlinde would have called…"

"Don't worry about it, just go to sleep. I'm sure she'll call you first thing tomorrow…"

---

12:00 PM – Next Day

"Okay, I'm going to call her," I pick up my phone, but Asuka just rips it from my hands.

"Oh no you're not! Listen Shinji, she's probably spending time with Takajin, like she SHOULD be! I know you miss her, but come on!" I guess she was right… I still wish that she'd call though… "Now, I'm going to give you the phone back, but you have to promise not to-" my phone begins to ring, "Ah damnit… didn't I teach her anything? Keep them waiting!" she hands me my phone with a chuckle.

"Ha ha," I playfully tease her and answer the phone, "Hello?"

"Um… hi dad… sorry I didn't call you last night, but… you know," she chuckles a little, "Can I talk to you about something serious?" her voice was fairly shaky… why don't I like the sound of this?

"Sure honey, go ahead," she takes a deep breath before speaking.

"Well, last night me and Takajin slept together and… well… I think I'm pregnant… I took a pregnancy test this morning and it came out positive," you have GOT to be kidding me!

"Oh… well… how do you feel about it?" she took a few seconds before responding.

"I'm happy… I know it sounds weird but, I'm actually happy. I know that I'm still kinda young, but you and mom did a great job," yeah, but only because we had NERV to support us!

"Well that's good, but I hope you realize how much work this is going to be. You two don't have the luxury of NERV supporting you. Now, I'm not saying that you can't do this, but I am going to say that if you need anything, feel free to come to us for help," she once again chuckles.

"Dad, listen, I'm a big girl now. I'm almost done with college and Takajin finished a few months ago, and he already has a job at the hospital. His income alone will be enough for the baby, but I really appreciate it dad… mind if me and Takajin come over for a little bit? He wanted to talk with you about something," she begins to whisper into the phone, "He wanted to tell you that I was pregnant, so try and act surprised!"

"Okay, no problem," we both laugh a little, "I'll see you soon," I hang up to see a pale Asuka, "Oh yeah, Dietlinde's pregnant."

"Yeah… I got that…"

"You okay?" she falls back onto the sofa and leans back her head, rubbing her temples.

"No… I'm gonna be a grandmother… I feel so damn old…" I couldn't help but to burst out laughing, "What's so funny? You're older then me…"

"I know, but aren't you a little young to be going through your midlife crisis?"

---

One Year Later

"You did amazing Dietlinde…" I gently stroke Dietlinde's hair as she lay in the hospital bed. When the young couple found out that she wasn't pregnant, they actually tried to have a baby… and they did… two of them in fact. What's even more amazing is that Takajin delivered his own children. He's in the locker room right now changing back into his normal clothes while Dietlinde waits for him.

"Thanks… how are my babies…?" she let out a weak smile through her half closed eyes.

"They're perfectly fine… now go ahead and rest up, you need it," she nods slightly and closes her eyes. I get up and walk back out into the hallway where Asuka was waiting for me, "Have you seen them yet?"

"No… should we?" I wrap my arm around her shoulders and, with a smile, we begin to walk down the hall.

"Yeah, and I'm sure that Takajin is over there too, we could catch a word with him before he goes to meet his wife," even now that seems odd to say. My little girl has grown up on me and has kids of her own now… how is it that I'm STILL calling her my little girl? When we finally get to that large, familiar window over looking all the recently born babies, we were able to pick out Dietlinde's right away, "And so continues the clones of my wife…" the girl – named Misaki – looked exactly as Dietlinde as a baby. It was like going back in time and looking at Dietlinde again, "At least there's a boy in our bloodline!" our eyes shifted to the boy – named Ryo – had almost all the features of his father.

"Oh, hi Shinji," Takajin walks up from behind us and puts his hand on my shoulder, "Beautiful, aren't they?"

"You just wait, it gets MUCH better. Now, why don't you go spend some time with Dietlinde? I think she'd like to see you…" I notice Asuka smirking slightly. After Takajin leaves, Asuka lets out an obviously held back laugh, "Okay, I'll bite, what are you laughing at?"

"If Dietlinde is anything like I was after giving birth for the first time, she'll be pissed at Takajin! When I first saw you after I was done delivering Dietlinde, I swear, I wanted to strangle you!" okay, now I'm confused… very…

"Why?"

"Well, as I was delivering, all I thought about was 'this is all his fault!'," she lets out another laugh, "Let's just hope Dietlinde has good self control!" um… I think I may not bring up the time that Dietlinde smacked Asuka for sneezing too loud…

---

Shinji/Asuka/Cass's House – Living Room – Next Day

"Jesus…" Dietlinde walks back into the room and sits down on the sofa, "Breast feeding is bad enough… but to have TWO kids that want to eat at the exact same friggen time… how'd you do it mom…?" both me and Takajin look at each other with annoyed faces as we finish preparing the drinks, "Seriously, it feels like someone just punched me in the chest…"

"Yeah, I know, you'll get used to it… just wait until they start teething…" Asuka had a slightly sarcastic tone on. See, she never had to deal with that!

"Don't tell me that! The last thing I'm looking forward to right now is a bloody-"

"We can hear you!" me and Takajin both cut in at the same time.

"And I honestly don't care right now… how about one of you go in there and try breast feeding? Let's see how well you do…" Takajin looks at me with an annoyed voice and I just nodded my head and whispered.

"Let it go, you can't win…"

"Okay! I'm back with the stuff!" I hear Cass walk through the door with a cheery voice on. Takajin helps me serve the drinks as Cass sets down the plastic bags on the coffee table, "You know, they were looking at me with the weirdest faces…" he pulls out a bottle of baby formula and a large bottle of wine, "Aw… you guys already made drinks? Then why'd you send me out to get some?"

"Because we needed baby formula… or more, I did," she grabs the bottle and shoves it into the baby bag sitting next to her.

"Okay, I think now would be a good time to do it…" I take a seat next to Asuka and Takajin follows the same action with Dietlinde, "Cass, we need to talk with you," at first, he looks at me with a confused look, then that look turns into annoyance.

"Please don't tell me this is what I think it is…"

"Well then you already know," Dietlinde looses the look of pain and turns it into seriousness, "We've all noticed a little… problem with you since Sam died…" Cass leaps up and glares down at Dietlinde.

"You have no right to tell me how I'm living my life! I don't think that you'd do so good if Takajin died either!" we all keep a blank face, expecting those exact same words.

"I made it twelve years without Asuka and I didn't sink to your level," he starts to storm out of the house, "You're running away again?"

"Shut the fuck up!" he whips around and shoots me the look from hell, "I don't want to hear how much better you are then I am! I was married to Sam, had a child with her, and within a couple days I lost all of it!" even though HE was the one to send off Blaze. Yes, it WAS Blaze's fault, but to send your own child away and disown them? A parent just can't do that!

"Cass, I'm sorry to say this, but since Dietlinde and Takajin will be visiting so often now, I'm going to have to kick you out unless you clean up your act. You're one of my best friends, but I won't put my grandchildren at risk because of that friendship," he goes wide eyed at my comment.

"But… where would I go…? I don't have any money saved up…"

"You sure as hell seem to find money for your little bar runs," Asuka takes a sip of her drink as she makes the sarcastic remark, "It's not that hard Cass, either stop drinking or get out, your choice."

"Ugh… fine… not like I have much of a choice…" like a teenager being punished, he stomps off to his lonely room and damn near slams the door.

"What is he, fourteen?" Dietlinde sounded EXACTLY like her mother right there! The sound of a baby girl crying starts to emit from the baby room, "Ah shit… please don't be hungry…" she slugs into the room and Takajin follows in after her, "If she's hungry, then you're gonna try breast feeding, I swear…"

"Is it just me or…"

"She sounds exactly like you now? Oh yeah, defiantly. She's your daughter, there's no way around that," Asuka lays her head on my shoulder and closes her eyes, "You okay Asuka?"

"Yeah… I'm just kinda worried about Dietlinde. Remember how stressed out we were with only ONE baby? I can't imagine what she's going through… of course, we were only fourteen… I don't know… there's two sides to this I guess…" Asuka sets her hand on my chest and smirks, "Hey Shinji?"

"Um… yeah…?"

"After Dietlinde and Takajin leave, how about we go out for dinner and then come home and… have some 'fun'?" I wrap my arm around her shoulders and peck her forehead.

"Sure," her smirk widens a little bit more, "Do we even have to go out to dinner?"

"EW! My parents are talking about sex!" Dietlinde rushes into the bathroom gagging and I just burst out laughing, which was soon followed by Asuka, "That is so wrong!" by now, me and Asuka are simply rolling, "AH! You two got an image stuck in my head! How do you expect me to sleep tonight now?!" even Takajin was laughing now.

"You two have fun now…"

---

10:00 PM – Shinji/Asuka's Room

"Oh Shinji…" Asuka wraps her arms around my neck and looks up at me, "Remember your promise…?" I peck her on the lips and smile. Without a word, I put my hands on her hips and slowly lower her onto the bed, "I'll take that as a yes…" as we were kissing, I brought up my hand and slipped off one of her spaghetti straps, and soon the other one came off. I pull back and smile down at her.

"So… how was dinner…?" she smirks and grabs my collar.

"Oh shut up…" she once again pulls me into that same deep kiss. She slowly pushed down her silk dress, letting it fall to the floor. After a few minutes of slowly disrobing, she somehow ended up on top of me – still in her bra and panties – straddling my pelvis. While we were still kissing, I brought up my hands onto her back and easily unclasped here bra, letting it fall onto my chest.

"I never get tired of that…" she chuckles and plants her hand on my chest, looking down at me.

"I know you don't…" she pulls off her last piece of cloth and throws it across the room, "And I never get tired of that…" we once again begin to kiss each other, her letting out soft moans every few seconds, "Your turn…"she reaches down and pulls down my boxers, taking a quick glace before focusing back onto my face. She slowly raised her hips and lowered down onto me, letting out a soft sigh as she did. I put my hands on her hips as she begins to rock up and down.

"Asuka… I love you…" she puts her hands on my chest for balance and closes her eyes.

"Shin… ji…" she stops pumping and lies down on my chest, panting quite heavily, "Uh…"

"Here… roll over…" without her pulling out, we reposition ourselves so I'm on top of her. She spread her legs as I began to give her the same treatment she was giving me. She wrapped her arms around my back and let out a weak smile up to me.

"G… go a little… faster…" following her directions, she threw back her head and began to thrust up her hips to meet mine, "Uh… Sh… Shinji… I'm getting close…" by experience of the meaning of these words, I speed up as fast as I could and I feel all of her muscles tense up, "AH!" her body becomes a rag doll as her climax retreats, "K-Keep on going…" I grasp her hips tightly, lift her up and sit on the edge of the bed with her still straddling me.

"I love you…" she put her hands on my shoulders and leans in slowly to kiss me. Her hips began to rock up and down like before, but the fact that our entire bodies were close together made it all the better. After a few minutes, I lean back onto the bed, feeling my own reward approaching.

"I get it…" she smirked through her deep blush and began to thrust as quickly as she could, "Shinji!" her head tilts back as I climax in her. After a few seconds of arched backs, she relaxes and once again lies on top of me. Without saying a word, we both eventually fall asleep.

---

Next Day – 10:00 AM – Same Place

"Hey guys, I have great news!" the door swings open, waking both me and Asuka, only to be followed by an extremely awkward moment, "Okay, that's just wrong," Cass looks down at us for a second before Asuka picks up a pillow and throws it at him.

"GET OUT YOU ASSHOLE!" he slams the door shut as he rushes out, "Jesus! Haven't you ever heard of knocking?!" she gets up and throws on a loose sleeping shirt and shorts, "I'm having a lock put on that door, I swear," not much we can do now… at least he didn't see too much of me! I get up and throw on some loose clothes before I follow Asuka into the living room.

"Sorry about that guys," he didn't seem to care about what just happened… "Listen, I realize that I have a little drinking problem and – like you said – I'm going to fix it. Now, I'm going away for awhile, but I'm not going to tell you where I am. I'm leaving tomorrow," wow… this was… a shock, to say the least.

"Oh really now? Are you telling the truth or are you just blowing hot air?" I see him clench his teeth at Asuka's remark, but he manages to keep his anger back. Ever since he's had this problem he's had an extremely short temper… kinda reminds me of Asuka pregnant!

"No, I'm serious. I'm only telling you two this because I thought you'd like to know before I left," he sent over a small glare at Asuka, "Just forget it, I knew you'd just take this as a joke," with an obviously frustrated tone of voice, he stormed off to his room and – from the sound of it – began to pack. I look over at Asuka, and she knew exactly what I was thinking by the look on my face.

"Oh come on! It's not my fault if he's all moody!" she says that, but over the years I have picked up on a slight look in her eye that easily tells me when she's lying, or just blowing hot air herself; she should know by now that I can tell when she's just trying to act tough! "Ugh… fine… I'll go apologize…" I put my arm around her shoulders before she could walk off, "What now?" her sense tone of voice was starting to she annoyance… better watch myself!

"Just leave him alone for a little bit. Let him pack up, and talk to him as he's leaving. You don't want him leaving on a bad note," just as I finished that sentence, Cass comes walking back out of his room with empty hands… uh oh…

"Asuka, do you remember the time we first met?" Cass leans against the wall, still looking past me and onto a wide-eyed Asuka. I sure as hell remember what he did!

"Um… no, not really, that was a good twenty years ago," he chuckles and mutters a few words that were sure to set Asuka off… she never was happy about her age!

"Try twenty-four," her eyes show a slight spark that could easily become a raging fire, but she manages to hold it in.

"Okay, I get it, your point is?" that turned out better then I thought it would! No flying furniture, no bloody noses, nothing!

"My point is that when I first met you – as I'm sure Shinji remembers – I kissed you," her face turns a brilliant red and she dam near faints.

"On the hand! You kissed her on the hand!" he bursts out in laughter, but left me and Asuka slightly annoyed, "Yeah, you didn't make too good of an impression on me," as he knew! He slept in the NERV lounge that night if I remember right…

"Oh yeah, I remember that… I actually thought that you were pretty cute when I first met you! Jeez, you should have heard Sam talk that night! She wouldn't shut up about you!" I notice Cass play with his wedding band that still sits on his finger, "You know, I bet that if you would have asked her out right then and there she would have said yes!"

"Um… what exactly did she say?" Asuka just HAD to bring up Sam, didn't she?

"If I remember right, she was just talking about your looks… okay, back on subject. What were you getting at?"

"Oh… yeah, I was going to say that when I first met you I thought that you were the biggest-" he managed to catch my look for him to stop before he could finish his sentence. I finally got Asuka to calm down; I don't need this screwing up!

"The biggest WHAT, exactly?" after that, he proceeded to his room… smart choice!

---

Five Years Later – 10:00 AM

A/N – Just as a recap, Shinji is 45 and Asuka is 44. Dietlinde is 29, Takajin is also 29 while Misaki and Ryo both 5.

"Grandpa! Hurry up! We're gonna be late again!" both Misaki Ryo tug at my shirt as the guide me quickly down the hallway towards the door. Jesus, I'm getting too old to keep up with these two! I remember when I was able to sprint clear across NERV, now I can't even keep up with a pair of five year olds!

"I'm coming, I'm coming," today was quite a special day for these two indeed; it was their birthday and their parents had set up quite the party, "What's the big rush anyway? Don't you just want to sit down for a little bit?" I was obviously simply teasing the two, but they sure didn't take it that way!

"NO!" they both yell in unison. Laughing to myself the rest of they way, they both crawl into the back seat of the car while I get into the driver's seat. By now my fancy sports car was gone, and I had settled for a small van… I really am a grandpa, aren't I? The two children spoke among themselves the entire way there, contemplating what gifts were in store for them. Ryo wanted the new gaming system that came out recently… the Playstation X I believe it's called. Misaki wanted something cheap on the other hand, just a simple doll that was able to get up and walk around on its own. That doll is so fucking creepy, when I bought it for her a few days ago I swear it followed me around all night… it might have been a dream, but I think that once it said 'Here's Chucky!'…

"There's mom!" Ryo popped up and pointed out the windshield at his mother, still looking as young as she did the day of her children's birth. She waved her arm in the air, flagging down the car. Once it came to a stop, those two kids were out of the car faster then Hillary Clinton was voted in for a second term… and just as quickly as she was impeached…

"Hey babies," they both latch onto their mother in a tight hug. She pulls back after a few seconds and smiles at the two, "Why don't you go see if you can help dad cut the cake?" they both go wide eyed and run off towards their father, "So dad," Dietlinde stand back up and embraces me in a gentle hug, "You feeling old yet?"

"Getting there, but not yet," she lets out a small chuckle.

"Uh huh, that's why you drive a minivan," just like her mother, she cuts me off before I could talk back, "Anyway, mom's in the back getting all of the gifts together. I'd watch out for Ryo's friends… one of them said that they saw candy, so they're on the hunt," with a quick peck on the cheek, she walks off towards her husband and starts small talk.

The party must have been fairly expensive – they rented out the entire park just for the occasion. A few tents were put up with board games for the less playfully active while there was a well-equipped playground just across the yard. Balloons and banners were everywhere, all reading "Happy Birthday!" in either pink or blue.

"Hey mister!" one of Ryo's friends ran up to me with a wide smile on his face, "Do you know where Ryo is?"

"Yeah, he's over with his mom," without another word, the little boy ran off towards his friend. I eventually make my way to Asuka, who was – of course – setting up the table to an anal-retentive mother's standards. I put my hands on her hips, and she damn near jumps out of her skin. She whips around and slaps my chest.

"What did I tell you about sneaking up on me?! There's a good fifty little children out there, just looking for something to tackle!" I just laugh and peck her lips, "Don't you try and sweeten me up! Where were you?"

"Well, Ryo broke the vase in the hallway, so I had to clean that up before we left, sorry," she shakes her head in disappointment, "I know, I know," that vase was… to say the least extremely special to me. Maya – the new health director of NERV and a close friend of Ritsuko – gave it to me a couple years ago. According to her, it used to be my mother's before she died, and that Ritsuko was planning on giving it to me on the day that Ryo and Misaki were born, but this obviously proved to be impossible.

"Shinji, I'm so sorry that happened," I just put on a fake smile and shake my head.

"Nah, don't worry about it, let's just go help out with the party. I'm sure that Dietlinde and Takajin are having one hell of a time trying to keep all of this together," Asuka smiles and kisses me.

"That's what I love about you, you're always thinking of other people… we really should go help them though, huh?" I take her by the hand and walk out to the park to see Misaki in her mother's arms crying, "Ah damnit… what happened here?" Dietlinde smiles over at us.

"She's upset because Takajin cut through the picture of the princess on the cake," yeah, who didn't see that coming? A small child crying over something small… kinda reminds me of Dietlinde when she was growing up! "It's okay honey, calm down… you want a piece of cake right now? I can sneak you one if you want!" Dietlinde gives her daughter the sweetest smile I've ever seen. Dietlinde really has become a mother in these past few years; even more so that she has TWO kids.

"You raised her so well Shinji…" Asuka wraps an arm around my shoulders and kisses me softly on the cheek.

---

Forty Years Later

Years have passed, new emotions have been felt, and experiences that I wouldn't trade the world for have long passed. Asuka's once beautiful ruby-red hair has long faded to a dull red with streaks of grey. In recent months, she has been put on oxygen, her lungs unable to support themselves any longer. Unfortunately, even her legs have long given out, ending her in a self-pushed wheelchair. Her body has basically broken down, most likely due to the constant Eva piloting as a child.

I wasn't in much better condition, but still not as bad. A walker works fine for me, even though it takes me longer then others to get around. That's about my only disability as of this year, but I'm sure that more are on their way. As of right now, Asuka was next to the sofa – and next to me – while I was on the sofa itself. Dietlinde, Ryo and Misaki were somewhere in the house, but I wasn't too sure exactly where.

Unfortunately, Takajin died just a few years ago due to one of his patients. As he was performing a heart transplant, he accidentally cut an artery, spraying blood up onto his surgical mask. HIV took him away from his family just a few years afterwards. Dietlinde didn't take it well at all, but she eventually moved on – even though she visits his grave every day at least once. Ryo ended up with a fine woman from Canada after going to College in Michigan, while Misaki… well, she ended up with a fine woman that she met in college. Thankfully, a law was passed that allowed the two to get married.

"Hey mom…" Dietlinde kneels next to Asuka and pecks her on the cheek, "You doing okay?"

"I may be in a wheelchair, but I'm not helpless," she manages a smile through the tubes going up her nose, "Don't worry about me, I'm fine. You should get home, it's getting kind of late," with a quick hug, Dietlinde stands back up.

"Okay, but just call me if you need anything," she kneels down and pecks me on the cheek, "Night dad, sleep good," all I do is simply nod and smile as she walks out of the house. I love her so much…

"I guess Ryo and Misaki weren't here after all… do you think they'll miss us?" Asuka slowly nods with a tear in her eye.

"Yes… yes I do… but they'll be okay… let's just go to bed, I'm tired," slowly, we make our way to the flattening bed. This process takes us both about half an hour, but unusually; it was all spent in pure silence. Finally, we were both laying in bed, "Shinji… I love you…" with a slow motion, she reaches up to her face and pulls out the oxygen tubes that have grown such accustomed to her face. Just as slowly, she lays her head on my shoulder and puts her leg around mine, just as we used to do when we were younger.

"I love you too…" putting my arm around her shoulders, I pull her a little bit closer.

"Sleep good Shinji…"

"You too…" with a single motion, she reaches over me and turns off the light one last time.

A/N – Before any of you say anything, I want to make something extremely clear here. Asuka did not kill herself, and neither did Shinji. Think deeper then what's just on the surface; Asuka was bound to a wheelchair and to oxygen – now, with her attitude, do you really think she was happy? She had fulfilled her purpose in life, raised a wonderful daughter and saved countless lives. Everything was right with her and Shinji. The two helped each other through countless predicaments, and it is only natural that they would leave this earth together. Now, if you have ANYTHING that you would like me to clear up or add to this epilogue, please tell me so in a review, even if it's just a simple question. Now… some 'behind the scenes' facts that a few of you have asked me…

Q – Where did Cass's name come from?

A – Ah yes, Cass. Well, this name derived from a fic that inspired me to start writing this one (can't for the life of me remember the name of it though), where one of the characters was constantly referred to as 'Casanova'. Originally Cass was supposed to be a serious player, and Asuka was going to cheat on Shinji near the end of the fic. I later on decided that it would be better if he eventually settled down with Sam.

Q – Where did the name Sam come from?

A – Girlfriend's name, simple as that.

Q – What happened to Cass? (no, none of you asked me this, but I'm sure it will be)

A – Who is this 'Cass' you speak of?

Q – What drove you to even write this fic?

A – LONG story, but the gist of it is this; I was supposed to be in special-education classes due to a few neurological processing issues I have. When I was in 6th grade, I was writing at a 3rd grade level, but as the years went on I had a remarkable teacher that taught me in a way that I could actually understand. Now – while it doesn't show in this fic due to the informality of it – I'm able to write at a very high level. If you want a piece of my more advanced work, just ask.

Q – What's up the 'keep on keepin' on' thing?

A – When I started writing this fic it was from my favorite movie. A shiny nickel to whoever can guess the movie!

A/A/N – Well, that's it. If you have another question not mentioned here, just ask. And on a side note, this story does have a dedication, even as corny as it sounds; this goes to the two smallest big parts of my life. I love you two and I can't wait to see you, good luck. _Okay, I wrote that before it happened. Glad that you're both okay, love you._ And this goes out specifically to Knoopdog; you made some very good points in there, but I was one step ahead of you. I've had this done for awhile.

Okay, just as a side note, I won't be able to work on The Effects Of Puberty for awhile (ironic title… a few of you get it). So yeah, send your feedback, tell me what you think, and keep on keepin' on!


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